A Match Made in Hell
by Theodora Snowbird
Summary: AU The Wizarding world is almost totally isolated from the Muggle world and has clung to many outdated traditions. But Kat never thought she would have to deal with an arranged marriage. Unfortunately, Lily was worried about losing her daughter in the War. So she struck a deal with Narcissa Malfoy. FEM!Harry BWL Neville
1. A Hellish Arrangement

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **Another story, I know. ;) I'm working on** _ **That Explains A Lot…**_ **though!**

Chapter 1 A Hellish Arrangement

 _December1995_

Lily Potter was a lot of things, but first and foremost, she was a mother. Lord Voldemort may have disregarded Katherine because of her sex, but she didn't. And Katherine didn't either.

Her baby was going out there, right alongside Neville to fight Voldemort. Sometimes she went out alone, searching for horcruxes, protecting the weak… Lily feared that one day she would never come back.

James thought she was being brave. Sirius called her revolutionary. She and Remus knew the girl was being reckless. That it was only a matter of time before…

"I am not making this decision lightly." Lily sipped her tea. She was one of the few female members of the Order of the Phoenix, but unlike Nymphadora, she chose the more traditional route and was a healer instead of a fighter. That meant she had to spend her time waiting during battles, waiting for some to come back in pieces and some not to come back at all.

"And you think I am?" Narcissa, who rarely left Malfoy Manor, was gracing her presence to a Muggleborn. Lily was expecting silence and for the woman to leak it to the paper. Then, James would either laugh it off or divorce her.

You see, Narcissa wasn't afraid of the Dark losing the war. She knew they were winning. But she _was_ afraid of losing her son in the process. Part of Lily was surprised that she cared, that raising one of Lucius's rumored bastards as the heir would be a small price to pay for Voldemort's victory.

Narcissa's lips curled in disgust at the contract before her. "Lucius will not take the mudblood, no matter that she is your ward. Our reputation will be in shambles. Not to mention the war reparations. It is your heir, or nothing, Potter."

Muggleborns needed to be mentored by "proper" families if they wanted to attend Hogwarts. Lily adopted Hermione when the girl was ten. After Voldemort had her parents slaughtered like pigs.

And Hermione, perhaps out of gratitude, agreed to this. She was legally a Potter and would have a dowry that young girls only dreamed about. Hermione understood that they needed Narcissa's secrets and intellect to win this War. Katherine would laugh in her face and go back to risking her life on a daily basis.

Lily cast her eyes downward. The china tea cup, one of the only things she had left from her parents, shook in her hand. "James will not allow it."

"James was stupid enough to make you his equal in this marriage," Narcissa hissed. "Has given you rights that are not meant to be a woman's. Use them to your advantage or your daughter will be dead before the year is out."

Last week, Katherine nearly bled to death. Lily had to try to heal her while not looking at the green eye that was hanging out of its socket. By the weekend, her daughter was out fighting again. What would happen next, if things didn't change?

With a shuddery breath, Lily slammed down her tea cup and took out her wand. She waved it over the marriage contract and held back tears as she watched _Hermione Potter_ change to _Katherine Potter._

Her daughter would hate her forever, but she would be alive.

* * *

 _August 1997_

Voldemort was dead, and the celebrations seemed endless. Even Hermione wore dress robes instead of her usual trousers that made people whisper and point. Kat, like Ginny and Tonks, only wore trousers during battles. Hermione was trying to make a statement that was years ahead of its time, Ginny claimed.

But now was not the time for statements or critiques on wizarding society. Now was the time for cake and cooing at Tonks and Remus's new baby, Teddy. There was no time for reality, not yet anyway.

"You're next, Kat!" Ginny teased as Kat snuggled with the baby by the fire. Hermione refused to marry until she could legally choose her husband. Ginny pretended that she would "one day" marry. Kat knew Dad would let her marry whoever she wanted, so she decided to leave the politics to her friends. She was done fighting.

"During NEWTs?" Kat mimicked Hermione's look of horror when anyone mentioned doing anything during NEWTs year besides preparing for the tests. "Like Neville would want Hermione reading at our wedding!"

Everyone knew that she and Neville were going to marry ever since they started working together to fight the prophecy. Sure, they only kissed a handful of times when they could get a moment alone, but they had been through hell and back together. They were meant to be.

"I'm sure James would love to discuss this during the feast," Remus said as he took his son back. Teddy cooed and started drooling as he reached for his father's hair. "He will not sign a contract until you're twenty, Katherine. You know that."

Kat put a hand over her head and pretended to faint. "You mean when my eggs are all dried up?"

Remus shook his head and smiled. "I think he hopes your head will be out of the clouds by then. Life isn't a fairy tale."

There was no bitterness in Remus's voice, but Kat thought there should be. The only reason he was Sirius's steward and not starving on the streets like the other werewolves was because of their friendship, and their rumored love affair. When the rumors started to seem become more clear to be true, Sirius arranged for Remus to marry Tonks. Legally, Kat was Sirius's heir, but she would only get the title and perhaps a second dowry. Everything else would go to Teddy. This fueled even wilder rumors even though Tonks and Sirius were cousins.

"Dream crusher!" Kat grinned when Remus rolled his eyes, and they all headed for the Great Hall of Potter Manor. "Sirius is going to sprout wings and become my fairy godmother any day now!"

"What?" Ginny was the only one who grew up without any Muggle heritage and absolutely hated being out of the loop. Unfortunately for her, they had reached the Great Hall.

Dad was angry. And he was never angry, not even when Hermione had snuck off to the Muggle world and came back with weird looking trousers called jeans. Even the house elves didn't know what to do and tittered around with dishes. Mum's eyes met Hermione's, and she started ushering everyone to eat outside. Everyone except Kat.

"What are they doing here?" Kat said slowly when her eyes fell on the Malfoys. Lucius looked as menacing as ever. Draco was pale, paler than he was when Snape killed Dumbledore. The woman, who must be Mrs. Malfoy, was cool, seemingly unaffected by being in a Light home. A home that turned its back onto the many traditions that defined her life.

Sirius, as usual, was standing at Dad's side. For once, he looked grim. "Lucius is proposing a contract."

Kat almost laughed until Mrs. Malfoy said, "Lucius is considering the contract that he has been presented with."

"What contract?" Kat glanced at Dad, who was red in the face with fury.

"I could ask the same thing," he said through clenched teeth. She only became more confused when his eyes fell on Mum, who was shaking like a leaf.

"Is it really appropriate for Ms. Potter to be present?" Lucius drawled, which only made Dad turn a shade redder.

"Get out of my house!" Dad barked. Dad never yelled. Only Mum and only when she was particularly worried.

Lucius rose from his seat with a satisfied smirk. "Feel free to write at any time, Lord Potter."

The three rose from their seats almost as one. The only one who stumbled as Draco. His Mother put her hand to his back as if to gently hurry him along. Kat watched them go with her mouth hanging open like an idiot. Sirius was the first to speak.

"Kat, let's go—"

"You made a contract for me?" Kat looked between her parents. Mum looked the most guilty. "Without telling me?"

"We will discuss this in the morning." Dad darkened, almost looking like a completely different person. "Leave." Kat just stood there. "Now, Katherine Lily."

Kat yelped when Sirius grabbed her arm and started leading her outside, outside to act like nothing was wrong.

* * *

"What were they doing here?" Ron asked in between chews. Mrs. Weasley halfheartedly swatted at him but knew it was no use.

Sirius didn't say anything, so Kat didn't either. Never in a million years would her parents match her up with _Malfoy_. They must be after her dowry since the war reparations left them dirt poor in exchange for no jail time.

"Who knows," Kat mumbled as Mrs. Weasley started piling up her plate with every dish she could reach. "Dad nearly chucked 'em out himself. So I suppose it was nothing that mattered."

Fred and George started doing that creepy, laughing in unison thing they did when they wanted to torture someone. Kat sunk in her seat and focused on her food.

"For a second there, Kitty Kat—"

"We thought—"

"That young Malfoy wanted to court you!"

They both threw back their heads and continued to laugh as Mrs. Weasley yelled at them, and Kat tried to force herself to laugh with them. Ginny and Hermione weren't laughing.

* * *

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?" James screamed. In their nearly twenty years of marriage, he had not once raised his voice to her. "I made you an equal partner in this marriage because that was what I wanted! A partner! Not someone who snuck behind my back and—"

"She was coming home in pieces!" Lily sobbed. "Pieces that you expected me to sow back together, only to send her back out to get hexed again! I had to end this—"

"You didn't even ask!" James shouted. "You conspired with Narcissa and Dumbledore, not giving a shit about what I thought. What our daughter thought! We swore we wouldn't force her to marry someone! We laughed at the idea on her natal day! And now you're forcing her to marry our enemy?"

Lily wrung her hands and placed them behind her back. She deserved this but damn it! She did the right thing! Dumbledore agreed. They had lost too many. The Finnigans, the Diggorys, the Clearwaters… Entire families wiped out. And the Potters were going to be next. She was sure of it!

And now, there was nothing else she could do. Lily swallowed at the lump in her throat. "I made an Unbreakable Vow. The only one who can break the contract this is Lucius."

"How could you do this?" James whispered, which to Lily, was a lot worse than the yelling. The devastation was much more clear. "To our baby? She is going to be miserable for the rest of her life."

"You don't know that," Lily forced herself to say, not believing her own words. "I couldn't let her die, let you die. Voldemort didn't suspect Narcissa because she is a woman and his whore's sister. She was the perfect spy. Please, James, you have to understand—"

"Go to the Lupin house," James said quietly. "Help Dora with the baby. I don't want to see you right now."

* * *

Kat wished that she couldn't sleep last night. She was plagued with dreams of being locked in the Malfoy dungeons, only receiving human contact when they wanted another heir. They were making the whole thing up. There was no contract. There couldn't be.

When sunlight peeked through her curtains, she squeezed her eyes shut as the house elves scurried about and set out her dress robes for the day. They better not pick green and silver. Well, she supposed it didn't matter. Either way she was going to hide under her covers all day.

"Up!" Never mind then. Hermione always broke the charms she used to lock her door. "Dad wants you downstairs." Kat didn't move. "The Malfoys are here again." Still nothing. "And so is Mum."

That made her open one eye. After dessert, Mum was nowhere to be found. "Mum?"

Hermione softened, making Kat feel like she was ten years older instead of less than a year. "She said she'd explain if Dad's plan doesn't work."

"Plan?" Kat sat up quickly and then cursed herself. Hermione always knew how to get her out of bed. At least it didn't involve a bucket of cold water this time.

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "You won't know until you get out of bed."

"I hate you…"

* * *

"You were their spy?" Lucius snarled the following morning when Narcissa finally came clean after Draco wouldn't stop asking question after question. Lily was lucky. It wasn't a daughter's place to know of such business. "You set up an illegal contract behind my back? I could divorce you for this, Cissa!"

"But you won't," Narcissa said coolly. The rumors weren't true. Lucius's so called by-blows were in fact Abraxas's. And Luna Lovegood wasn't one of them. Her dearly departed mother was. No, Lucius had been in love with her long before Cygnus had agreed to courtship. "Not now."

"We lost the war because of you!" Lucius roared. "We lost almost our entire fortune because of you! And now you want to taint our blood with Lily Potter's filth?"

She had done the right thing! Her mother agreed. They had lost too many. The Goyles, the Notts, the Bulstrodes… Entire families wiped out. And the Malfoys were going to be next. She was sure of it!

"I saved our son's life!" Narcissa hissed. "You let him go out and fight and expected me to wait—"

"He fought while you were feeding Dumbledore information!" Lucius yelled. "He could have died during battles because you made sure that the Light was well prepared for every one of them!"

"No harm was to come to Draco." Narcissa folded her arms over her chest and looked out the window. "Lily had more protection charms on him than even I knew existed."

Draco shuddered in revulsion. "You-you let a mudblood perform magic on me? Are you mad?"

Narcissa turned around and glared at him. "After the Department of Mysteries? The Dark Lord nearly killed you with his punishment! A punishment that was meant for Lucius! I was not going to sit around a watch you get torn apart again, Draco!"

"So you condemn me to a life with Potter?" Draco snapped. "I will not have this, Mother! Her blood—"

"We have no money," Lucius said flatly. "No respectable family will have you. Not even that harlot Weasley calls a daughter. It's Potter, or no one. Your mother made sure of it."

Narcissa clenched her jaw but said nothing. She had gotten what she wanted, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Here's what we're doing," Dad whispered as she rushed with him to the parlor. Mum and Sirius were trailing behind them. "I've set up a ridiculous contract that Malfoy will have to say no to. Then, they'll be out of our hair for good."

 _Why are they even in our hair?_ Kat wanted to ask, but before she could, they were face to face with the Malfoys. The house elves were serving them tea, but they hardly moved, resembling cold statues instead of people. Malfoy—Draco looked as sick as Kat felt.

Lucius rose from his seat, followed by Draco. "Shall we discuss this in your office, Lord Potter?"

"We _all_ shall." Dad didn't budge until Narcissa rose from her seat, although for a brief moment, she seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

* * *

Kat had only been to Dad's office when she was in trouble, which honestly, was often as a child. In a way, she supposed she was in trouble now. There was no way she could spend the rest of her life with Malfoy.

Dad folded his hands and leaned back in his seat, inspecting every inch of Draco. With a snap of his fingers, a house elf brought him a scroll. "I have made a few _additions_ to the contract."

There was already a contract? Maybe Malfoy had sent him one. It was considered rude, to say the least, and Lucius was in no position to do so. Kat would have to ask Hermione later if it was against the law or if there was some weird law saying Dad had to consider it. Hopefully she wouldn't get a lecture about how they could change the patriarchal laws. She only wanted to know what was happening to _her_ , not every girl with a title in the country.

"First," Dad said as the house elves flattened out the parchment, "Ten percent of Katherine's dowry will remain in her vault along with the Muggle money Lily's parents left. She will keep her last name and her jewelry. She will be free to come and go about the Manor as she pleases. _And_ …" Dad paused and smiled evilly. "The first son will take the name Potter."

Lucius thinned his lips as if trying to keep in a scream. However, he gave Draco an almost imperceptible nod. To Kat's horror, he grabbed a quill and signed it.

 **Another new story! I don't know about you guys, but I love starting new stories. I know the major pieces to this story, but I'd love to hear from you guys what little parts you want! Reviews mean a lot! Especially when I start a new story! Hint, hint! ;)**


	2. Challenge Accepted

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 2 Challenge Accepted

Kat waited for Dad to rip up the contract and laugh in their pale faces. This had to be a joke. A prank from Sirius and Dad. The Malfoys were so poor that it would be easy to pay them to do it. Kat found herself still waiting as the color started draining from Dad's face.

"Did you hear what I said?" he said as he tried to control his voice. "The first son could be the only son! Neither one of our families—"

"I am quite aware of the fact that many wizarding families suffer from infertility." Lucius sneered at Dad, as if it was somehow his fault that most magical families could only have one or two children. That was why the Weasleys could marry whoever they wanted. They were poor, but they had so many children that Mrs. Weasley actually had to use birth control. There weren't many families that could conceive three children. Seven was unheard of.

"Very funny Dad!" Kat said weakly. Any minute now, Sirius would pop out of the closet and throw a particularly smelly dung bomb in her face.

Everyone ignored her but Mum, who brushed some of her wild hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll explain. I promise."

Lucius gestured for his son and wife to rise from their seats. "Courting will begin as soon as possible."

Kat felt her mouth run dry as they left. This couldn't be happening. It made no sense. She and Malfoy hated each other, _and_ she was a halfblood. Her dowry couldn't be worth that to them. Parkinson was sure to be still slobbering all over him.

"Kat," Mum whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Dad was staring at the door that the Malfoys left behind. His skin was like milk, and it looked like he was trying not to scream. Maybe this was a joke on Padfoot's part. Or Mum's. Dad always fell for Mum's rare pranks.

"This is a joke, right?" Kat asked, even though her heart was starting to pound. It was a joke. It had to be.

Mum reached out as if to touch her, but her fingers curled, and she let her hand fall to her side. Dad was still staring at the door. "Honey, I-I was so afraid for you."

"So?" The War was over now. Mum didn't need to worry.

"So she made an alliance," Dad said through clenched teeth. "With Narcissa."

Mum fiddled with her sleeve and bit her lip. She should be used to that look now. There was hardly ever a moment when Mum wasn't worried since The Order of the Phoenix declared war on the Death Eaters. It happened less than a year after Kat had taken the diary from Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I…" Mum swallowed. "Ever since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Narcissa has resented Voldemort…"

"So?" Kat repeated. Narcissa was the perfect pureblood wife, never so much as smiling without her husband's permission. She would never betray Lucius. Mum had to be making this up.

"Draco…" Mum seemed to feel comfortable saying his name, like it was his name's fault that Kat was somehow tied to him. "Draco was punished severely for Lucius's carelessness. She wasn't willing to risk losing him. Just like I wasn't willing to risk losing you."

"I'm not marrying him," Kat said loudly. This was sounding nothing like the usual _I got you!_ after a prank. It couldn't be true.

Mum's eyes glistened, and for the first time ever, Dad did nothing to comfort her. He barely could bring himself to look at her. "Honey, I… I made an Unbreakable Vow. Narcissa became a spy for the Order after I vowed to make sure there was a marriage contract in place by the end of the War."

Kat tried to force herself to laugh, but only a funny sounding sigh came out. "I-Okay, Mum. It's not funny anymore. I'll keep my room cleaner…"

"She gave us the information we needed to win the War." Mum grimaced when Dad clenched his fists. "She even gave us access to Bellatrix's vault. If it wasn't for her—"

"So you sold me like some prized mare?" Kat yelled as she tried to mentally deny her mother's words. They won the War because of hard work of the Order of the Phoenix. Not because of Mum becoming a sneaking Slytherin. "This isn't funny Mum! I hate—"

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." Something about the dead, defeated sound of Mum's voice made Kat realize this was real. Mum gave her to the Malfoys, doomed her to a miserable life with someone she hated and hated her just as fiercely in return.

With a shake of her head, Kat backed away in disgust. "You just did."

* * *

"You never deal with your problems." Hermione may have been a stick up the arse bookworm, but she was a rebellious stick up the arse bookworm. So that meant that Kat was getting a lecture as they snuck in the attic to smoke a few hours after a silent, tense dinner. "Mum—"

"You're always on her side." Kat coughed and wrinkled her nose. Hermione was a lot better at smoking than her. A lot better at not being a proper lady.

Hermione exhaled the smoke through her nose and flicked her ashes out the open window they were sitting near. "Mum has a way for you to get out of this. But she couldn't properly explain with you running off like that."

When they were young, Hermione hated Mum, who tried to force her into dresses and dance lessons. But then she found her way to Mum's private library, and they became best friends. Sometimes, Kat hated them for it.

"Yeah?" Kat snorted and then started choking on the smoke. Hermione smirked. "Face it. She thought me and Dad couldn't win, so she doomed me to a life of popping out pointy faced ferrets."

"She was being realistic." Hermione titled her head to the side. "We were losing, Kat. Sirius and Dad were playing fair against those who weren't. We had to do something Voldemort wasn't expecting. And like I said, there's a way out of this."

"Oh?" Kat smashed her half smoked cigarette into the ashtray. "I'm not letting Neville get me up the duff without being married."

Hermione rolled her eyes. As much as she loved the Muggle world, she couldn't stand the slang. There was no textbook about it, and since she couldn't visit often enough, she couldn't keep up with it. "Narcissa still gave Lucius and Draco the power. If they want to get out of the contract, Mum won't die because of the Vow. She upheld her end of it."

"They're poor," Kat said slowly, as if that was everything. It was everything to the Malfoys. "They aren't going to give up my dowry for just anything."

Hermione smiled. "But Malfoy hates you, Kat. Do you really think it's going to be that hard to scare him away?"

Kat thought about it as Hermione started taking out her Muggle clothes from her hiding spot and then returned the smile. It wouldn't be that hard to send Draco Malfoy running for the hills. Dad was going to kill her. "I'll get the scissors."

* * *

It was oh so tempting to stay in bed all day. Draco did that more often than not lately anyway. His pillows and silk sheets were much more comforting than Potter, who had to be too stunned to return to their childhood bickering. It was going to be all out war. He was sure of it. But Mother, being Mother, passive aggressively told him he had no choice by having the house elves open the curtains and blind him with the morning sun. Breakfast was to be _enjoyed_ at Potter Manor.

Draco soured as he forced himself down the stairs. Pansy was having one of her off days, so she wouldn't be joining them. At least the Potters had bleeding Gryffindor hearts and wouldn't add to the contract that Pansy had to leave. She had no one.

Mother straightened his tie at the floo with a small, sad smile on her face. "So handsome…"

Draco wanted to be sick.

* * *

Kat felt an evil sort of satisfaction as she squeezed into Hermione's jeans and tied the end of what her sister called a t-shirt. _The Great Gatsby_ was a Muggle book, she had said. Kat couldn't stop staring at the eyes on the shirt as she put a thin black coat that Hermione called a cardigan over it. She looked just like a Muggle! Malfoy was sure to run off.

She didn't feel guilty until Dad saw her hair. She looked a lot like Dad's mum and a little like Mum, but they were always had the Potter curse in common along with the glasses that she hated wearing. This morning she let Hermione destroy it with the bleach. It wasn't even spikey any more. Now it was a dried out wavy that was cut to her shoulders. The hurt on his face ruined the priceless look on Malfoy's.

Lucius was the first to speak. "I was under the impression that she wasn't tainted by your other… _ward._ "

Dad recovered quickly and turned bright red. "What did you say Malfoy? Hermione is just as much my daughter as Kat is—" Hermione blinked in surprise at his words. "So you better get that straight—"

"Or what?" Lucius grinned. "You would let your precious wife die because of semantics?"

The awkward silence made Mum look at her plate in shame. Without a word, she sat at the table to load her plate with food that Kat was sure she was only going to halfheartedly nibble at the most. Everyone else accept Lucius started doing the same while Kat just stared. Malfoy wouldn't look at her and said nothing.

Lucius smirked as Kat started to wonder if Ginny's complaints were true. Marriage had nothing to do with the bride and the groom. Would she have to push Lucius over the edge instead of Draco? That might take a little more than dressing funny.

"Sit across from Draco, Katherine," he commanded. Dad's eye twitched, but he remained silent, too shell shocked by the thought of Mum dying for going against her Vow.

Kat obeyed as she tried to think of something else. Perhaps she should start planning with Dad instead of Hermione. Hermione was more for making statements. Dad was more for making people run off screaming while ripping their hair out.

What would drive Lucius over the edge? He lost his mining business, and there were rumors that Draco bought second hand textbooks for his last year at Hogwarts. It was going to take a lot more than a bad dye job and putting her elbows on the table.

"How are you?" Malfoy asked awkwardly. Kat wrinkled her nose as his mother smiled to herself.

"Peachy." Kat dug her nails into her sweaty palms. What if she had to marry Malfoy tomorrow?

Malfoy took a deep breath and glanced at Dad, who glared at him. "There are things you should know—"

"Draco," Narcissa lightly chided.

Whatever this "things" were, Lucius didn't want her to know either. "The wedding will take place in September."

Mum jumped in her seat and Dad's mouth hung open. "It's August 25th!"

"A small wedding will be nice, intimate." Narcissa smiled warmly, although it didn't quiet reach her eyes. The Malfoys couldn't afford the big, posh wedding they really wanted.

"It will take place after they are settled at Hogwarts." Lucius motioned for a house elf to pour him some pumpkin juice. "Professor McGonagall will arrange quarters for them."

Kat wanted to die.

* * *

Day 2. Could Mother and Father make it any more obvious? Draco gripped his sink the next morning as he tried to get ready to spend the day with Katherine. They left shortly after breakfast that day. Lily Potter was too afraid to say much, and he knew Potter and Katherine were too busy plotting to try to make conversation. Although Potter did lie and say that he poisoned the pumpkin juice. Or maybe it wasn't a lie because Father was on the toilet for the rest of the morning…

He had wanted to tell Katherine about Pansy, explain her situation and say that he refused to throw her out on the street. His biggest fear was that Potter would assume he had already taken a mistress and demand that Pansy vacate the Manor.

Mother and Father thought he was going to talk about _it._ But how could he? He couldn't even acknowledge it himself. Then Father had to say that the wedding was to occur in September. He wanted Katherine's dowry before she could find out.

The thought of anyone but his parents knowing made him sick. Draco squeezed his eyes shut. Katherine was going to find out, obviously. She was going to be his _wife._

When they flooed home, Draco showed his parents how he felt with silence. At lunch that day, Father simply said, "Don't be paranoid, Draco. When she finds out, she'll have grounds for divorce, _but_ we get to keep half her dowry."

That would be enough for Father to buy a new business to keep them going, and possibly enough for Mother to get back the jewelry she had to sell so he could get his books for school and so they could eat. They only touched Pansy's inheritance in emergencies. She was going to need a lot of care, and Draco wasn't sure if he could keep up, especially if Katherine didn't want to divorce him and wanted a family right away. That was what women tried to do when they didn't love their husbands, have a baby as soon as possible to fill the void.

"Hopefully Sirius has grown up a bit since I last saw him." Before he could head for the floo, Mother fussed and made sure every bit of him was in place. She adjusted his coat several times, not wanting to admit that it was simply too big for him. He had lost a lot of weight since the last time they could afford to buy new dress robes. "Everything will turn out perfectly, Draco."

"Right…" He wondered if Katherine, like Pansy, was planning to run to the Muggle world. She was certainly dressed for the part. He would have to warn her. Muggles were monsters.

* * *

If anyone else was courting her, Kat would've ripped Sirius's throat out for putting a ruler in between her and Malfoy as they sat on his couch. Malfoy turned pink. Kat tried not to look at him.

Sirius put his hands on his hips, inspecting them to make sure it was impossible for them to touch. "Keep your grubby paws to yourself, Malfoy. Kat is not marrying you."

"Padfoot has an incredible talent for making situations much worse than they actually are," Kat said, mostly to herself.

Malfoy thinned his lips. "Thank you for chaperoning, Lord Black."

With a sigh, Kat started drumming her fingers against the couch as Sirius started circling them, telling Malfoy about all the particularly nasty curses he learned about during the War. If she even remotely liked Malfoy, she would let him know that more than half of these curses were made up.

Half an hour went by and neither of them had a chance to say a word with all Sirius's ranting and raving. There was a bowl of sweets on the coffee table, and when Kat started flinging them at her godfather, he didn't even notice.

"I cursed good ole Lucius once," Sirius said as he continued his circling. Kat was starting to get bored. "Turned his bowels to stone."

 _Nearly thirty eight and still making poop jokes,_ Kat thought to herself _, although Dad isn't much better with the laxatives in Lucius's pumpkin juice._ She glanced at Malfoy. His eyes were starting to glaze over and would only focus when they drifted off to the clock. If only someone could actually be bored to death.

"You know Padfoot…" Kat yawned to stop herself from smiling. This was Dad's idea. Sirius was so gullible that it was sad sometimes. "Mum didn't want you and Dad to know, so she told me to act upset but…"

Sirius stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. He was always suspicious, but somehow still fell for her stories every time. "Yeah right, Kat. You're the one who started the rumor he was born with a tail because Abraxas was Cissa's real father."

Malfoy's eyes were burning into her, but Kat did her best to keep a straight face. "I've matured since then."

"It was last year."

"Anyway…" Kat felt her lips twitch. "It was all a ruse. Malfoy—I mean Draco—and I have been sneaking about since third year. He was the one who told Mum to approach his mum about becoming a spy. Because we want to get married."

Kat bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as Sirius's brow furrowed in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Malfoy who looked torn between confusion and wondering if Sirius was in fact this stupid.

After a moment, Sirius grinned, thinking he found a hole in her lie. "Then he would know you've always wanted to get married on an island. That can't be arranged in a few weeks."

How many times had he fallen for this? Without hesitation, Kat said, "I don't mind. I just don't want anyone to find out about the baby."

Kat finally allowed herself to laugh when Sirius lunged for Malfoy. Poor Padfoot. _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ She grinned as she guided Sirius to the ceiling, kicking and cursing as he went. For good measure, she leaned toward Malfoy, who was breathing heavily with fear since Sirius's hands had been clawing for his throat. From where Sirius was, it looked like they were about to kiss. "Expect this on a daily basis until you rip up the contract."

Unfortunately, she wasn't a teacher or Sirius or anyone that Malfoy saw as a threat. He saw her as his equal and sneered at her. It had to be out of spite when he hissed, "We're getting married and having ten children."

So Malfoy only wanted to marry her because he knew the idea made her skin crawl. _Challenge accepted,_ Kat thought as Sirius howled with rage and threatened to castrate Malfoy. She leaned closer and tried not to blush when she realized their faces were about an inch apart. "You'll be begging Dad to dissolve the contract before the middle of September. Fuck their month deadline."

Malfoy paled and suddenly, they weren't challenging each other anymore like when they were kids. Reality came crashing down. Almost sadly, he mumbled, "We'll already be married by then."

The dull dread Kat felt in her chest was suddenly impossible to ignore.

* * *

James felt like an Inferi. Lily turned him into Lucius's puppet, and he wasn't ready to forgive her just yet. There was nothing he could say or do that would fix this, so he found himself frozen in a frustrated silence. Remus was the only one to dare to defend her, saying that fear can make people do crazy things.

Hermione had a defense for Lily too. He could see it on her lips as he moped about the house, but he wasn't as close to Hermione as he was to Kat. It wasn't about their lack of shared blood. That ridiculous fear died within the first few days of Hermione's arrival. He loved her, but Hermione was too caught up in her seriousness to not frown in disapproval whenever he threw a pie in Sirius's face, and he was too caught up in living in the moment to understand why she refused to allow herself to become close to anyone. Ron fancied her. Everyone knew it, and James knew they could be happy together. But Hermione was disgusted by the fact that she had a dowry and that he would have to legally agree to her marriage. He and Lily said she could marry whoever she wanted. That wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be able to make her own choice without needing her parents' approval.

And yet she didn't blame Lily for the situation her sister was in. So victory in the War was more important than Kat's happiness, Kat's choice. James didn't understand her. Sirius jokingly said Hermione was too complex for him to understand, and he had a feeling he was right.

As for Kat… James was worried, to say the least. "Do you like my hair?" she had asked worriedly the other night. "Hermione said the Malfoys would think I was too Muggle to associate with."

 _You look like a Malfoy,_ James thought as he narrowed his eyes at her blonde hair. With a smirk, he ruffled it, knowing it will make her scowl. "You look beautiful. So, how are we going to get them tomorrow, Kitty Kat?"

Kat wrinkled her nose, reminding him of when she was a baby, and he made a funny noise. The memories made his chest ache. "I'm going to make them dinner. With _Mum's_ recipes."

James smiled to himself at the thought and poured himself a glass of brandy. None of this was going to work. Draco had been in love with Kat ever since she threw a mud pie at him at Quidditch Camp when they were eight. James didn't realize Kat returned the feelings until her fourth year, when she purposely spilled butter beer on Pansy Parkinson's dress robes at the Yule Ball.

Neither of them realized it, of course, which only fueled James's anger. Lucius was using him like a bank, but from Narcissa's tiny smiles, he knew that she was aware too. She wanted this, but James didn't. He wanted them to figure it out for themselves.

… **I was more looking forward to writing the next chapter than this one. Was it too boring? Anyway, there will be less of a wait for the next one since I'll have some time off work. Anyone know what's wrong with Draco? It's a tiny bit more obvious than Pansy's story. Hers will be more clear next chapter.**

 **Ever wonder what I thought Kat looked like? Somewhat like Grace Phipps, who was briefly on** _ **The**_ _ **Vampire Diaries**_ **. There are even pictures of her with blonde hair, although it probably looks ten times better than Kat's! ;)**

 **Thank you Sindhuja, Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, Nataly SkyPot, woo and Ben for reviewing!**

 **Sindhuja- I hope this chapter cleared things up!**

 **Ben- I'd have to think of a new character for that, so that might take a while since I want to finish what the stories I'm doing first.** _ **But**_ **there will be some Kat and Neville action next chapter on the train!**


	3. Have You Lost Your Mind?

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 3 Have You Lost Your Mind?

Since she was given access to the Malfoy Manor's floo (bad judgement on their part), Kat decided to sneak over early for dinner and hide a couple dung bombs around the place. If they weren't found, they would eventually rot. Kat snickered as she tiptoed out the floo.

She spotted Pansy just as she was putting the last of them in a vase. Kat frowned. What was she doing here? She pursed her lips as she started following her. So Malfoy kept his girlfriend? Well she would just have to keep her boyfriend.

Kat turned around the corner of a hallway to follow Pansy when the other girl jumped from a door way and grabbed her by her shoulders. With a shriek, Kat shoved her, feeling her heart clench at her wild eyes and hair. This wasn't the Pansy Parkinson she knew.

"You're following me!" she accused. "Wallowing! Wallowing in self-pity. Just a bitty!"

What…? Kat tried to back away, but Pansy's grip only tightened on her shoulders. "Yes. Yes, I was."

Pansy stopped her strange rhyming and refocused on her. "I knew it! You are working for him! The devil! Yes… Yes… I knew it. You dress like him too. What a mess! You work for the devil! You—"

"No," Kat said slowly. "The War's over, Pansy."

"It's never over!" Pansy hissed in her ear. "Never ever! You did this! The devil! You work for—"

"Pansy." Malfoy was glaring at Kat, not her. "It is time for your potion."

"Poison!" Pansy screamed as she glared at him over her shoulder. "He hired you to feed me poison! The devil! So much poison! You can't move with the poison. No… Mother would certainly disapprove…"

"It's not poison." Gently, Malfoy pried Pansy's hands off Kat's shoulders. "It will help you feel better."

Pansy scratched at her scalp. Her hair clearly hadn't been washed in a while. "It silences the truth! That the devil walks free!"

"I know." Malfoy wrapped his arms around her shoulders and started leading her away. "But it makes you feel better. So you shouldn't throw it at the house elves."

"They are trying to POISON me!" Like a viper, she whipped around and started wrestling with Malfoy. She slapped, scratched, and kicked until he grabbed her hands. "You disgusting dog! Poisoning me to steal my inheritance!"

Kat closed her eyes when she spit in his face. She heard a bit of struggling, but when she opened them, they were gone.

* * *

Tick, tick, tick. Kat had no idea how long she stood in the hallway, even though she was staring at a grandfather clock. Somehow, she felt like the worst person in the world even though she had no idea what she did.

Malfoy wasn't angry with her anymore when he returned. He simply looked tired, and if she wasn't mistaken, a bit embarrassed too. He rubbed the back of his head and gestured to a nearby room. It was a small parlor. Kat thanked her lucky stars she hadn't put a dung bomb in it.

"The Curse of the Senses," he said once she sat down and he sat across from her. "Muggles call it schizophrenia."

Kat frowned. She'd never heard of it. "She's delusional."

Malfoy glared at her. What? It was the truth, not an insult. "Because she's seeing and hearing things. When she takes her potions, she's normal. But then they start making her dizzy and screw with her vision. So she'll skip one. By the next day, she'll think its poison. Then she gets quiet. Sometimes we don't notice right away."

"Oh." Kat didn't know what to say besides, _I don't understand._ Malfoy was already pissed at her. But why should he be? If she was going to live here, she was bound to find out.

"I told you not to dress like that here," he snapped. Oh. At the time, Kat had thought he was simply telling her what to do, and like any sensible woman would do, she ignored him. "She was angry, after her parents died. So she ran off to the Muggle world. And, I don't know what happened, but she came back bleeding… between her legs and…"

Malfoy ducked his head so she wouldn't see his eyes water. So Pansy was raped by a Muggle. Since Kat was dressed like one, her addled mind thought she was working for the "devil." Suddenly, Hermione's choker necklace and studded belt didn't feel so nice. She could hear Hermione now, saying it wasn't her fault. Kat knew that, but somehow, it didn't make her feel better.

"So there you go," Malfoy went on defensively. "My best friend went out in the Muggle world and came back in pieces. Go on. Say it."

"Say what?" Kat hunched into herself. From Malfoy's voice, she could tell he was waiting for her to say something horrible. He thought she was as much of a monster as she thought he was.

Malfoy laughed bitterly. "You want me to rip up the contract. Here's your chance. Because I'll live off bread and water for the rest of my life before I kick her out. So go on. Make demands and stomp your feet while complaining about a woman who isn't related to me living in the Manor. You're free."

Kat swallowed at the lump in her throat. It would be so easy. But it would also be a lie to say she wouldn't marry him because Pansy could easily be seen as a live in mistress. A lie that made her skin crawl.

"She can stay," Kat said so quietly that she barely heard herself.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. Maybe he would've been happy to get out of the contract too. "What?"

"She can stay," Kat said louder. It was easier to do so if she was looking out the window instead of at his sad, bitter eyes.

He straightened, and just as Kat turned to see an odd, unreadable emotion on his face, Mrs. Malfoy flew into the room. "There you two are! Draco! Have you lost your mind? You know this is most improper!"

Kat blinked, taking a second to realize she was talking about her and Malfoy alone. She thought about Pansy and why it was improper. Call her crazy, but Kat suddenly wasn't in the mood to torture the Malfoys today. One nice dinner wouldn't hurt. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy. You have a beautiful home."

Mrs. Malfoy brightened like a child on Christmas morning. "Thank you, Katherine! Let's hurry down to dinner! Lucius is waiting!"

Hmm… Well, being nice to two out of three Malfoys would count for something.

* * *

Now that she knew about Pansy, Potter decided to play nice at dinner. Draco wasn't sure what he thought about that, but her refusal to have Pansy thrown out stirred something in him he hadn't felt in a long time. He started at his cutlery as the house elves served the meal. At Pansy's empty seat, the Parkinson family crest was embossed on hers. Sometimes, on one of her bad days, she thought the food was poisoned too. As if they could afford to waste food like that.

Potter didn't seem to mind their meatless pasta, although she did cringe at the cheap, watered wine. At least she felt too bad to comment on it. "I like your, erhm, plates, Mrs. Malfoy."

They were plain and white. Their fine china was sold to pay off what was left of their war reparations. Being related to Bellatrix made the Marks on his and Father's arm a lot more expensive, even if they had fallen out of the Dark Lord's favor. He could only imagine how bad it would be if Mother hadn't been a spy. They might not have the Manor. Or, they might. Because they might have won.

Mother did her best to smile. "Thank you, Katherine. Tell us a little about yourself. I believe you like animals." Draco winced, remembering Buckbeak. It still resided at Black Manor, if he recalled correctly. "I'm afraid we know longer have our prized peacocks. What kind of animals do you like?"

Potter titled her head to the side until she realized they had had to sell them. They couldn't afford to take care of them. She cleared her throat and shrugged, probably thinking the Weasleys were richer. "Well, I have my dogs."

More awkward silence. The Potters had hunting dogs. Two fearsome beasts guarded their property. They were a mix of German Shepard, Siberian Husky, and if rumor was to be believed, a small amount of timber wolf.

Mother put on her best, fake smile. "Oh yes… How could I have forgotten? What are their names?"

Potter grinned, telling Draco she had named them. He imagined something sick and was not disappointed. "Death and Eater. You know because they eat—"

"We are well aware, thank you." Father squirmed in his seat. There was a reason he hadn't sold his canes. One night last year, the Potters were returning from a charity ball. Father, Crabbe, and Goyle Sr. had disconnected their floo so they apparated. The plan was to capture the Potters, and they didn't know about the monsters. Crabbe and Goyle Sr. never made it back.

"They took down a buck once." Potter sounded proud of her dogs, like she admired the vicious predators the Potters had raised.

 _Holy shit…_ Draco gulped and took a sip of his wine. Perhaps it was time to change the conversation.

"Hardly pets for children." Smooth, Mother. Smooth. She smiled dreamily. "Can you imagine? A beautiful baby with your eyes. Draco's hair. They'll look like little angles!"

She was really laying it on thick. Potter wrinkled her nose. "I prefer my dogs." She turned to Father. If looks could kill… "They make me feel safe."

"They can't come here." Father rubbed his leg. A big chunk of his calf was missing.

"They live in the shadows," Potter said menacingly. Then, she snorted at her own joke while Draco wondered if she was as stupid as she sounded.

"Right…" Draco blushed when Mother grinned and ushered for him to say something. "So… Katherine… Would you like to take dancing lessons? For the wedding?"

Girls liked dancing, as Mother had pointed out to him every hour throughout the day. Unfortunately Draco forgot that Potter wasn't a girl. She gave him that infuriating smirk that he had wanted to smack off her face ever since they were children. "I agreed to marry you, Malfoy. Not touch you."

"Oh so now you agree to the marriage?" Father asked lightly as he played with his pasta with his fork. Of course he had to point that out. Sometimes Draco wondered if Father wanted the marriage to end in divorce. It wasn't like he was in a position to ever marry anyone else. Granger (he grew up refusing to call her Potter) and the female Weasley were wrong. Society was never going to change.

"No." Potter blushed, and Draco didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. There were rumors about her and Longbottom. "It was a joke."

"I'm sure it was." Father felt like he was on top of the world. There was an opportunity to torture Potter further, and he pounced on it like a starving man on a loaf of bread. "And you do know, Potter, that acquiring an heir requires touching, don't you?"

"LUCIUS!" Although her eyes were as wide as Draco was sure his was, Mother quickly collected herself and went back to her usual role. She never told them what to do. In her eyes, it wasn't her place. Therefore, she put the burden on someone else. "I'm sure Draco wouldn't appreciate you speaking to his betrothed like some-some common barmaid!"

Father's eyes were on him and worse, Potter's eyes too. The glint in the bright green told him that she thought this was funny. Her family may be "modern" as Granger put it, but he knew for a fact that James Potter preferred his daughters in dress robes and would be ripping out Father's throat for alluding to sex in front of Katherine.

Sticking up to Father wasn't easy, especially now. But if he ever wanted a chance at a life with Potter—

"Draco wants ten children." Oh great. That's what he got for hesitating. He sunk into his seat as Potter continued to embarrass him. Even Mother frowned at the thought of so many. He had to get back at her.

"So I guess we should get started straight away." His face burned, and Mother kicked him from under the table. She hated "improper" discussions. Only Muggles did such things.

It was worth it though. Potter turned scarlet and finally stopped looking so amused. "Maybe we'll get a dog… It doesn't have to be a big one…"

"So you are getting married?" Father said smugly.

"No-no! It's a _joke!_ "

"A dog needs a stable home with two parents," Father lectured as Potter clenched her fists.

Draco hated them both.

* * *

Although it was awkward as hell, Kat almost felt like things were back to normal when the dinner ended. She embarrassed Malfoy, he embarrassed her, Lucius proved to be a creepy old perv, and Narcissa had nothing on the mind but babies. All was right with the world.

The smug, superior bubble Kat felt in her chest burst when she went to leave for the floo. Pansy came slinking in the parlor, and she froze, expecting more bizarre accusations. But she had her potion in her and if anything, seemed a little sleepy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Malfoy before he pulled her into a side hug.

"It was nothing," Malfoy mumbled, even though Kat could tell that it was killing him. Was he still in love with Pansy? It doesn't matter. She was going to get out of the contract anyway. Still, Kat stared, waiting for proof. "Do you want to go to the garden? There are still fish in the pond to feed."

Pansy shook her head and pulled away. As she started heading for her room again, her eyes met with Kat's. When they were kids, they would trade sneers and insults. Now, all Kat saw was fear and a little helpless confusion. She jumped into the floo without saying goodbye.

Mum was waiting for her on the other side of the floo. They had barely spoken lately, and part of Kat hated her. After seeing Pansy though, she wanted nothing more than to hug her mum and have everything made better.

"How was dinner?" Mum sounded hopeful, and Kat supposed it went well in its own way. She never thought she'd say it, but she felt too bad for Pansy Parkinson to talk about herself.

"Oh Mum!" Before Kat knew it, she was hugging her mother for the first time in ages and crying into her dress. Without hesitation, Mum wrapped her arms around her, and for the first time in years, Kat felt like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

"KITTY KAT!" Dad boomed. He loved waking her up early in the morning. Kat could barely groan before the ice water was thrown on her and ended up shrieking instead. "Time to get ready for school! I know you want to get on the train early to get a head start on Hermione's study guides!"

Kat opened one eye. How'd Hermione rewrite all six hundred pages?! She had secretly burned them a week ago. "No…"

"It's NEWTs year." Dad was absolutely loving this. "So that means you'll be studying until smoke comes out of your little ears."

With a sour faced cat expression, Kat sat up and squeezed the water out of her hair. "I'm dropping out and joining the circus."

"They won't take you." Dad grinned. "They only take nice people… Or people who can hold down their liquor enough to be nice."

Every year, even though she was dripping with ice water, Kat bargained to take a portkey to Hogwarts during the feast and sleep in. And every year, Dad made her go so she could have fun with her friends on the train. The monster.

But this time she had another trick up her sleeve. "Malfoy will be there, slobbering all over me like Padfoot when you open a jar of peanut butter."

Dad's face fell, but this time, she really didn't want to be on the train. "Kitty Kat…"

"Dad, I can't…" Kat glanced at her door, hoping Mum wasn't listening in. "I'm going to have to sit with him on the train with Hermione and—"

"And you saw a different side of him the other day?" Dad raised an eyebrow when she said nothing. Of course Mum had to tell him. They told each other everything, even when they weren't getting along. "Kitty Kat, I want you to be happy, and if that's with Malfoy… Go for it."

Kat gaped. It most certainly was not with Malfoy! She stuck her nose in the air and got out of bed, not seeing Dad roll his eyes and shake his head. " _I_ am going to make a potion to melt Lucius's hair off. That'll stall the _wedding_."

Dad smiled sadly as she headed for the bathroom. What was wrong with him?! She _hated_ Malfoy… right?

* * *

 _June 1993_

 _Boys and girls weren't allowed to be alone with each other at Hogwarts. Kat, being twelve, still didn't understand. Dad said it was so no one got in trouble, and that as they got older, those rules would apply at home too. But what sort of trouble could she get into being alone with Ron? So what if she got mud on her dress robes sometimes?_

 _At the moment, however, that was the least of her worries. Neville saved her from the Chamber of Secrets. Mum was gone, trying to dissuade Dad from getting the Order of the Phoenix to declare war on the Death Eaters._

 _Madam Pomfrey was cleaning in the background, so she supposed she wasn't alone with Neville, not really. He had flowers in his hands from Professor Sprout's garden. The sweet scent made her forget she was in the Hospital Wing._

 _"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "He-He promised to cure Remus and reverse the curse that kept Mum from having more babies." Tears stung her eyes. "I didn't know he killed your parents."_

 _Neville shrugged like it was no big deal. She had never seen him angry. "It wasn't really him. The real Voldemort is hiding somewhere with Bellatrix."_

 _Bellatrix. She was almost like a legend, something parents told their children to keep them from leaving their bed at night. Kat didn't think she looked human, nothing like the beautiful woman who found her when she was lost in Diagon Alley. The woman was nice and gave her a present before giving her directions to Florish and Blotts, a plain black diary that Kat thought she'd store all her secrets in._

 _Kat shook her head. It was Voldemort. Maybe only a piece of him, but it was a big enough piece to nearly kill her. "This is all my fault."_

 _"No it isn't." Neville's eyes shown with a fierceness she didn't know he possessed. "It's_ _ **his**_ _fault. He's getting stronger. I can feel it." Kat tried not to look at his scar. She knew he hated it. "Ever since he killed Dad."_

 _A war was starting because of her. Her parents would be fighting the man who killed Neville's. Kat balled her fists. She used to be enamored by Neville's fame, jealous even until his dad was sacrificed to give Voldemort his body back. Not anymore. "I'm not going to lead you to him again like—" She blushed. "—Like some pampered princess waiting for you to rescue her! I'm going to fight him! I'm going to kill him if you don't first! We're going to fight him_ _ **together!**_ _"_

 _She jumped in surprise when Neville kissed her, and all the anger flooded out. He pulled away almost immediately. "Sorry."_

 _Kat didn't hesitate to kiss him back._

Five years later, and they were still together. It had _always_ been Neville. Not Malfoy, who was waiting for her on the train. Hermione was going to play chaperone since she was nearly eighteen. Although she knew she could get in trouble with McGonagall before school even started, Kat searched the train and slid into Neville's compartment the moment she saw them.

He wouldn't look at her. Trevor was croaking in his tank by the window. "Ginny told me."

"I'm trying to get out of it." Kat sat next to him, but his hand didn't find its way to hers like it used to. "I don't understand how Malfoy would be miserable for the rest of his life for money."

Finally, Neville looked at her, and Kat could see had he already given up. "He wouldn't be miserable."

 _December 1993_

 _Neville knew he was being reckless, and that Kat was going to get into loads of trouble for using her father's map, but for once, he wanted to feel normal. People took for granted how special getting hot chocolate in Hogsmeade with their significant other was. Kat's smiling face when he gave her the mug with more marshmallows in it made him feel warm all over, despite the fact that it was snowing and they were sitting by the door at Three Broomsticks. Her laughter when he spilled hot chocolate on himself made his heart skip a beat._

 _They weren't allowed to be in Hogsmeade. The declaration of war brought the most fearsome Death Eaters out of hiding. Those who weren't as loyal to Voldemort were eager to redeem themselves._

 _"I gave Ron money to buy us sweets to keep up appearances." Kat breathed in the sweet smell of hot chocolate and tossed a marshmallow into her mouth. "We're going to be so fat!"_

 _"So the rumors are true. Neville Longbottom isn't a ponce." Malfoy. Neville hated him, but not because he echoed everything his father said. It was his own thoughts that made Neville's blood boil._

 _"Too bad for you, isn't it?" Kat snapped as Malfoy's gorilla cronies chortled. She was oblivious to the real reason Malfoy hated him, and he was too afraid to inform her._

 _Malfoy's hateful eyes never left Neville. "You shouldn't be here. You never know who's lurking about."_

 _"Is there a problem?" Peter Pettigrew asked as he walked up to their table. Malfoy became smug… until he noticed Kat's eyes light up._

 _"Uncle Peter!" Kat beamed until Pettigrew looked at her sternly. "I…"_

 _"Shouldn't be here," he said with out of character firmness. "Prongs is going to be very upset." Neville looked over his shoulder expecting to see Tonks or another Order Member. The only face that stood out to him was Crabbe Sr. Pettigrew noticed that he saw him. "Perhaps this should be our secret."_

 _Kat nodded. Her parents worried, for obvious reasons. "We'll go back. I promise!"_

 _Pettigrew pretended to consider and then smiled before ruffling Kat's hair. "I'll escort you back!"_

 _Malfoy didn't like the sound of that. At the time, they didn't know Pettigrew was a spy. He grabbed Kat's arm as she rose from her seat. "Stay away from him! Don't ever be alone with him—"_

 _"Perhaps you should mind your own business, Mr. Malfoy," Pettigrew said coldly. Kat stared with her mouth open, not seeing that Neville had taken out his wand. "Unless you want your father to get wind of you causing a scene in public."_

 _It was a very un-Malfoy thing to do. That was why Neville figured Malfoy paled and started backing away. He lowered his wand and didn't give it a second thought until Pettigrew was caught years later._

"I didn't think much of it at the time," Neville said hollowly. "We were worried about getting in trouble for being alone together. And remember he used to joke and call your uncles pedophiles since none of them married? I thought he was trying to be funny… But…"

"You were right the first time," Kat nearly yelled, feeling like she was trying to convince herself. "Malfoy's a jerk—"

"He was afraid for you." Neville finally put his hand over hers. "Because he's in love with you. Just like…" He paused and turned to look out the window. "Just like you're in love with him."

"What?" Kat snapped.

Neville grimaced. "You didn't know I was there that day. We knew Malfoy was up to something, and you let me borrow your Invisibility Cloak, remember?"

 _September 1, 1996_

 _For some reason Neville would never understand, Kat saw Moaning Myrtle as a confidant. Perhaps it was because Hermione and Ginny were problem solvers. Sometimes a person just needed someone to, well, moan with._

 _Neville was looking for Malfoy and overheard Parkinson say he was on going to the bathroom on the first floor. Like he said before, Neville hated him. He wouldn't put going in the girls' bathroom past the sick pervert, especially since Kat liked to share secrets with Myrtle._

 _"Mum wouldn't stop gushing about Hermione's OWLs," Kat complained. "I got a lot too! So what if I missed Potions by one grade?"_

 _Mytrle was crying over Malfoy, who was slunk over the sink. Neville took out his wand, but lowered when he realized the git was hurt, too hurt to shake off a pygmy puff, let alone Kat. The pain made him gag at the sink._

 _No one else was around. The pair had never been alone with each other before, and Neville hated himself for being so curious. He should go. Kat was a skilled dueler. She could handle herself._

 _"You're bleeding!" Kat ran over to him and turned him to getting a better look at the wound her was trying to clean. There was blood under Malfoy's finger nails, and the oozing, shredded wound it's made Neville want to gag. "You were picking at it!"_

 _"Get out!" Malfoy yelled. "This is none of your concern."_

 _Kat could be mean. Mean, jealous, and childish. But there was a difference between petty meanness and ruthless cruelty. "Snape's still at the feast," she said slowly, not believing her own ears. "My mum's a healer. I know—"_

 _"Shut up!" Malfoy spat. "You're going to turn me into Dumbledore—"_

 _"For being hurt?" Kat shushed Myrtle. "It's going to get infected." Malfoy stared, not breaking eye contact as he slowly reached in his pocket for his wand. Kat had hers out in a flash. "Or I could stun you and get Madam Pomfrey."_

 _Malfoy swore, and Neville wondered if he wanted the disgusting, gaping wound to even be healed. Something wasn't right with him. Plus, Kat was rubbish at Potions. The healing ones were the only potions she had a knack for, since Mrs. Potter taught her instead of Snape. Malfoy didn't know that though and grinned through the pain. "I guess being poisoned by you will be a quick death."_

 _Kat shook her head, but quickly grabbed Malfoy when he tried to walk and nearly collapsed without the support of the sink. With a melodramatic groan, she helped him up and started walking with him leaning heavily against her. "How am I going to explain the blood on my robes?"_

 _"Say it's from your cycle," Malfoy grunted as he tried to walk. "You know, since you're on it twenty four seven. Bitch."_

 _"Yet I'm not the loon picking at the hole in my stomach," Kat said coolly. That shut Malfoy up._

 _All the prefects were busy catering to the first years, so they didn't run into anyone. Neville did his best to keep his steps soft after he noticed Kat look over her shoulders a few times in alarm._

 _The walk was normally only a few minutes, but with Malfoy's injury, the trip to the Dungeons took nearly twenty minutes. Neville tried not to notice the trail of blood they were leaving behind them._

 _Malfoy frowned when Kat used the_ Reductor Curse _to open the door to Snape's office. Neville bit back a swear and knocked down the wards as quickly as he could. She never was one for stealth._

 _"I'm going to make a paste," Kat announced as she started ruffling through Snape's private stores. "And I'll mix a pain potion with it. By the time you take the bandage off, there will be a nasty scar."_

 _Malfoy traced a half circle inside the wound. Neville wondered if that was the outline of the original. The git cried out in pain as he sat on Snape's desk. "I'm sure I'll worry about it as I'm dying on Snape's desk."_

 _But he was shaking from the pain, so Kat didn't say anything as she crushed some berries and grinded a few beetle legs to powder. She poured some potions in the mixture and mixed it until it was a thick, green paste. With an evil smile, she snooped through Snape's papers and took out Malfoy's summer homework. He glared at her when she transfigured it into a large bandage._

 _"I spent a month on that," he said flatly as she spread the paste on the bandage._

 _"Really?" she asked as she gestured for him to lay on Snape's desk. "Pity."_

 _Kat smoothed the bandage over his stomach and tied it on the other end of his waist. They stared at each other for a long time. Neville wasn't sure if she could comprehend the emotions that were painted all over her own face. She was too worried about Malfoy to even ask what happened._

 _"I could help you." Her hand was still over his wound. The pain potion sunk in, and Malfoy stopped shaking. "You don't have to follow Him."_

 _Neville saw hope Malfoy's eyes, and so did Kat. She was so excited that she didn't see that the fear was greater than the hope. Her lips parted when he put his hand over hers._

 _When he squeezed it so hard that she screamed, Neville almost ripped off the Cloak._

 _"You don't know what you're talking about, Potter," Malfoy snarled. He sat up as Kat backed away. "I don't need your help and certainly don't want it."_

 _He stomped off as Kat started crying. Neville left, wondering if she was crying because she knew Malfoy was lying or because she thought he wasn't._

"I didn't want him to die," Kat explained. She didn't have _feelings_ for Malfoy! "Because I'm not like _them._ He's a human being!"

"It's possible to love two people at once." Neville was trying to comfort her. He thought she loved someone else, and he was trying to comfort her. She didn't deserve him. "In different ways, perhaps but…"

"I don't love him!" Kat was begging now. "Please! This-This can be our secret. He'll never find out."

"I'll never lie with another man's wife," Neville said firmly. "And I didn't think you were that kind of person, Kat."

"I love you," Kat pleaded. He was going to give up? Just like that? It wasn't over until that piece of shit Malfoy slipped the ring on her finger.

"I love you too." Neville leaned in and kissed her slowly, savoring it because he knew it was the last time. "But unless you can break the contract, unless I know you one hundred percent want to break the contract, this is the last time we'll be together."

He rose to leave so Kat could have come time to herself, but when he opened the compartment door, Malfoy was waiting on the other side, absolutely furious. How much did he hear?

* * *

Malfoy was angry with her, and Kat told herself she didn't care as they walked into an empty compartment with Hermione. She and Neville had history, and she didn't want to give it up for him. She shouldn't have to. Dad told her she would never have to marry someone she didn't want.

"So…" Hermione sensed the tense atmosphere. Kat quickly wiped her eye before Malfoy could see the tear. "Ready to terminate the contract, Malfoy?"

Oh that was low. What? Was her conversation with Neville broadcasted throughout the train? Ginny would say something like that. Ginny, who made her potential suitors cry with her insults.

But Malfoy wasn't Colin Creevey or Dean Thomas. He turned to Kat so fast that she jumped. "Are you out of your mind? I don't care what kind of new age barbaric family you have. You will _not_ embarrass my family like that again."

 _Be brave_ , Kat told herself and tilted her chin up. What if the Malfoys were like the Flints, who beat their wives as punishment? "Or what? You don't own me, Malfoy."

"Or…" No. They weren't. At least, Malfoy wasn't. He faltered. "We could have a life together."

Hermione's eyes were on her, waiting for her to make a comment about society and lack of choice being akin to slavery. Kat wanted to. The anger and hurt over Neville was killing her, and all she could do was whisper, "I want to be free."

Malfoy blinked and then hardened. If she wasn't mistaken, she detected a bit of resentment in his eyes. What could he resent _her_ for? He had the power to end this, and she didn't. "Me too."

* * *

Draco did not expect Father to panic when he ranted to Mother about Potter's conversation with Longbottom. When he saw her letter the next morning, he felt his heart sunk to his feet. Five days…

For once, Potter was awake for breakfast, her hair was starting to become wild again after it recovered from the bleach. "Your dad had my dad thrown in jail!" she hissed. "Mum said they were arguing and—"

"He'll be out soon," Draco said numbly.

"A stinging hex is hardly assault!" she yell whispered before replaying his words in her head. "How do you know? Your dad's a piece of shit who will—"

"Because the wedding will be this Saturday." Draco turned away when Potter paled and barely reacted when she ran off. It was Monday. In five days, they would be husband and wife.

* * *

Petunia laughed to herself as she read through Katherine's letter. It was Lily's fault the evil wizards killed their parents. Just before Dudley was born too. Lily ruined one of the best days of her life. The most obvious course of action was for Petunia to ruin hers.

Obviously, she had to target Lily's daughter, her world. She had to stoop to using those wretched owls, but it was worth it. If Petunia had her way, Katherine would hate her mother. And Lily deserved it. Because it was her fault Mummy and Daddy were dead.

Petunia wrote to Katherine first, became her confidant. Whenever Lily didn't want her to have something, she made sure her niece had it.

And Lily made it so much easier. Katherine was jealous of how she doted on her adopted daughter. The brat didn't understand what it was like to have dead parents, and Petunia didn't explain things to her, instead saying that all parents had favorites and at least she was the apple of her father's eye.

Lily's latest blunder brought a big, stupid grin on her face. This was it. She was going to ruin her prefect sister's prefect, fairytale world, or better yet, Katherine was going to destroy it.

"Oh how awful!" Petunia said as she wrote her words on the parchment. Her voice sounded as shocked and concerned as she was sure Katherine would believer her to be, but her face still help that giddy smile. "Not to worry, Aunt Petunia will make everything better. Apparate to Privet Drive Thursday evening."

Petunia laughed to herself as she put the letter in an envelope and handed it to the owl. She was finally going to get even.

 **amata0221: I wrote your Lucius and James one-shot request! It's in** _ **Katherine the Great!**_

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, Nataly SkyPot, amata0221, Ben, and gr8rockstarrox!**

 **Ben: Thanks for suggesting to add in some flashbacks! It made this chapter a whole lot better!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: Schizophrenia is believed to be sometimes triggered by great amounts of stress. Like, you can already have the genes, but stress can be what makes you start to get sick. So Pansy being raped lead to her developing it. And other reasons, which will be revealed later.**

 **Anyone know what happened to Draco yet? ;)**


	4. More like a Funeral than a Wedding

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 4 More like a Funeral than a Wedding

Lily missed her girls. When she and James first married, she wanted the house filled with children. Bellatrix cursed her when Katherine was five, and at the time, she and James already had been trying for two years. The idea of adopting a baby was painful, but when she was presented with the opportunity to adopt ten year old Hermione, she didn't hesitate. It felt right, and she never regretted it.

But now her girls were grown up. She was the only female healer at St. Mungo's, and Lily was nervous about going back to work now that the war was over. Hermione would already be back to work. Katherine would be too busy having fun to care. Lily admired them both.

"If anyone gives you trouble…" James tried to look at the paper and not her but quickly tossed it aside. Hermione and Kat had only been gone an hour, and they both missed them terribly. "You're the best healer in St. Mungo's, if not the country, Lils. And if you want to become a Muggle doctor—"

"No." She didn't want to be an outsider. People still treated her like one, twenty six years after she entered the wizarding world. One would think nearly twenty years of fighting would change that. "But there's something I need to do first."

James raised his eyebrows and then sighed. He knew her better than she knew herself. "Pansy Parkinson."

Lily picked at her toast. Like Kat, she hated eating when she was upset. Sometimes, she felt like she was wasting away. "I feel like the worst sort of person and helping her…"

"It's not going to change anything." James smiled bitterly. "Did you know when they left for Hogwarts for the first time, and me and Sirius got roaring drunk, that he bet Kat would marry Ron?" His smile twisted, like his next words tasted like vomit. "I bet she would marry Malfoy."

 _Why?_ Lily was too shocked to yell that like she wanted to. She stopped picking at her toast, not noticing the dusty pile of crumbs it was becoming. James had the… What did Severus say before he died? The emotional intelligence of a walnut. Apparently, it was true.

"They've always been obsessed with each other." James downed the rest of his coffee and rose from his seat. "Perhaps this is easier on Neville." He kissed the top of her head as he left. "I'll forgive you when they stop being so thick and admit they love each other."

Yes… She was definitely married to a walnut.

* * *

Lily asked Pansy to paint what she was feeling. They didn't know each other, obviously, so she kept her distance until she was done. Narcissa hovered around them protectively and even Lucius popped his head in once and a while.

Pansy used a lot of red and black. There was an agitated fear about the painting, a fear that had been bottled up and released repeatedly too many times. Nothing eased it, so it grew and then was washed away, only to grow back like a stubborn mold.

"What's that?" Lily asked after Pansy threw her brush down and started biting her nails. At first, she thought the white blob was simply a spot on the paper that the girl missed, but then Pansy let a little of the black and red swirls seep into it.

"Me," Pansy whispered. "I couldn't move. Nothing was clear… Nothing but the laughter. His laughter."

"Who's?" Lily asked, causing Narcissa to glare at her. This wasn't going to go away, and Pansy didn't have to hide anything, not around her.

Pansy glanced at Narcissa and suddenly looked ashamed. "They have everything. The Muggles. And they have the freedom to do it. I didn't think it was dangerous. I love to dance. My mum loved to dance."

Lily nodded and looked at the painting. The white blob was trapped in the middle of all the pain and darkness. "Can I keep this?" Pansy didn't answer and turned away, retreating into herself. "I want to do something in Hogsmeade. The three of us."

"Without Lucius?" Narcissa was appalled at the thought. Lily was sure that the woman could count the number of times on one hand that she had done something without her husband outside the Manor in the past twenty five years.

Lily forced herself to smile. At this point in her life, she had been in the wizarding world more than not. The lack of independence some women had from their husbands still shocked her sometimes. "It will be fun. And only for an hour," she added for Pansy's benefit. "I have a present waiting for you."

* * *

Sirius invested so much money into WWW that he and Molly stopped talking for a while. At the time, Lily nodded in sympathy as Molly ranted and raved about Sirius indulging in the twins' pipe dream, but she secretly told James to make sure the twins kept their books in order. She wanted them to have independence from Molly, who meant well, but if she had her way, Lily knew that they wouldn't so much as breathe without her knowing.

 _Are you much better?_ Lily thought as she flooed to the Hogsmeade WWW with Narcissa and Pansy. It was their most popular site, but they agreed to close it for the day. Not many went to the Diagon Alley store, since it was so close to London. Most didn't understand why the Ministry built Diagon Alley and kept Gringotts there. No one but Arthur Weasley and children of Muggles wanted to be so close to a city.

"If it isn't my favorite red head besides myself," Fred joked as she stepped through the floo. "How's Kat? Sirius was freaking out, saying she told him Malfoy was a vampire and was biting chickens' heads off at dinner the other night."

One day, James and Kat were going to give Sirius a heart attack. The stories got wilder and wilder, and poor Padfoot fell for them every time. At least they were able to keep their spirits up…

Pansy frowned. "Draco's—"

"Pansy." The firm, almost reprimanding, tone Narcissa had made Lily jump. A split second later, she softened. "Don't you want to see your present?"

"No." Pansy looked about the shop in distaste. From what Lily could remember, she was the opposite of Kat. Puking pasties and stuffed animals that resembled garden gnomes wouldn't impress her.

"But I picked it out myself," Fred said proudly as he took a purple pygmy puff from behind his back. "Pansies are purple, aren't they?"

Pansy glared at him with obvious distrust. Perhaps she should've told Fred to stay in the back with George. Her lip curled, and for a moment, she was the old Pansy Parkinson. "They're a lot of different colors, idiot."

Fred grinned while Narcissa's face became as bright as a tomato. Lily tensed, thinking that she had failed. First she ruined Kat's life, and now she ruined Pansy's first day out of Malfoy Manor since she was attacked.

Then she remembered that Pansy Parkinson was a brat. She pointed to the giant orange bird cage by the window. "I want her to sleep in that."

"An excellent choice!" Fred handed Narcissa the pygmy puff when he saw that Pansy didn't want to take it from him. Lily stood in the background while Pansy made demands and insulted the shop. She had a feeling it was a sign things were going well.

"Thank you," Narcissa whispered when Pansy called Fred a soulless ginger. "This is the most she's talked in over a month."

For the first time in two years, Lily felt like she did something right.

* * *

James liked Neville. He was a nice boy, and Kat could have a wonderful life with him. It broke his heart when Hermione wrote about the conversation she overheard between him and Kat with Extendable Ears. But… When Kat panicked, she ran, and although Lily's life _was_ on the line, she wasn't doing a whole lot of running. In fact, she wasn't doing a whole lot of anything.

She was smarter than Muggle clothes and a haircut. The Sorting Hat didn't almost put her in Slytherin for nothing. Plus, Malfoy handed her an opportunity to end this, and she didn't, even if she had to lie to him. There was no plotting besides practical jokes. Maybe she was in denial, but James wasn't so sure it was only that. Kat wasn't exactly above lying. If she told Malfoy that he had to throw Pansy on the street, she would've ruined any future relationship, even a friendly one, with him. She was hesitant to hurt him like that.

"They need more time," James said as he sat in Lucius's office, a frighteningly clean place that somehow reminded him of his horrifying brother-in-law. Perhaps it was the overly polished desk, or the smell of barely used leather. Everything still looked new even though it wasn't. Nothing was actually _lived_ in. "A month is ridiculous, Lucius—"

"She was kissing another man on the train." Lucius was angry, and Malfoys never showed emotion. For the first time since this started, James feared for Kat, so much so that risking Lily briefly crossed his mind. "They will be married this weekend."

James let out a small laugh, forgetting he was with a man who did not joke. He played games yes, but Lucius Malfoy never joked. "You aren't going to allow your son to be happy at his wedding because of money. They could be _happy,_ Lucius, if they were given time."

Lucius sat back in his chair, considering this. "This is my son's only chance at happiness."

A rushed wedding to someone he spent most of his life bickering with? So he was a stupid as Vernon Dursley too. James rolled his eyes and a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother, reprimanded him in his head for hoping Lucius had an unfortunate accident sometime soon. "I'm trying to be kind, Lucius."

"You are in no position not to be." Lucius leaned forward to get a better view of James, to be able to savor his horror. "They are marrying Sunday, and as soon as the little whore finishes her first cycle, they will have an heir. Draco will not permit Longbottom to be near her and—"

James lost it.

* * *

Lily told Kat that it had only been a Stinging Hex, but in reality, James had put Lucius in the hospital. He didn't want anyone to know that the pathetic excuse for a man had called Kat a whore. Not for Lucius's benefit, certainly. He didn't want it to get back to his daughter. So as much as he wanted the world to know what kind of man Lucius Malfoy was, James pretended that the situation was mostly his fault. That he had lost his temper over such a rushed wedding.

Still, James wasn't about to blush and pretend that he was the one at fault. "The restraining order is for your protection," he said dryly as he nursed his tea at breakfast a few days later. Lucius hobbled in, all flustered like a startled hen. Maybe someone had finally yanked the broom out of his arse. "Take another step forward, and I'll rip your face off."

"James!" Lily was torn, again because in her mind he was the one who went overboard.

Lucius ignored him and slapped the newspaper on top of his breakfast. James jumped when he recognized Kat. "Who is this man? So she's cuckolding Longbottom too?"

Lily leaned over to see the headline. _Potter Heiress Spotted in Muggle University Town._ "Dudley?"

James squinted. Kat was dancing with a wine bottle while riding on a Muggle's shoulders. Triple chin, breasts larger than hers. Yes… It was definitely Dudley. "Dudley got into college?"

"James!" Lily gave Lucius an apologetic look that made James's blood boil. "Her cousin. She must have written to Petunia…"

"Funny," James snapped. Ever since Kat could write, Petunia had been trying to turn her against Lily. And Lily, being Lily, only saw the good in her sister, hoping that Petunia had loved Kat in a way she didn't love Lily. "I thought I told Petunia if she answered any more of Kat's letters that I'd chop her hands off so she couldn't answer the next."

Lily stuttered, trying to think of a way Petunia could have well intentions by filling their daughter up with liquor with a bunch of gorilla men. "Dudley's looking at schools. Maybe-maybe Kat wants to go to university."

"What?" James and Lucius said at the same time. James glared at him while Lucius looked equally disgusted.

Lily shrugged. As mean as it was, James wanted to yell that Kat hadn't finished a book since _Cat in the Hat,_ which she was sore over because she, being five, thought it was about her. Reality's a bitch, Sirius had joked when she finished the book only to realize the cat wasn't secretly her, earning himself a smack on the back of the head from Lily.

" _Anyway_ ," James yelled, "clearly she isn't in the library. And if Petunia doesn't know where she is, Lily so help me—"

"I'll kill her myself."

* * *

Lily was hesitant to distrust her sister. Tuney had blamed her for their parents' death, and frankly, Lily blamed herself. At first, when Kat was showered with gifts every Christmas, her heart swelled, thinking her sister had dusted her own heart off. But then Hermione came along.

 _You love her more than me,_ Kat had said _._ How many times had Petunia said that to her mother? Lily tried to brush it off until Petunia's childhood words started coming out verbatim. _It's not my fault she's prettier. She thinks she's so special. Perfect Hermione!_

Perfect Lily. She sighed as she apparated with James (and unfortunately Lucius) to Privet Drive. At least Kat had grown past that (or so she hoped), but it was because unlike herself, Hermione wasn't afraid to give her jealous sister a piece of her mind. And unlike Petunia, Kat had the capacity to feel bad when she was cruel.

Lily closed her eyes as she knocked on the door of Number Four. She knew she shouldn't kid herself. Petunia didn't love Kat at all. But how was she supposed to explain that to Kat?

Vernon answered the door. The sour faced walrus only opened the door wider because of their attire. The neighbors thought they were strange war reenactors, if the Dursley family had kept up with that explanation.

"Where's Tuney?" Lily didn't have her usual smile. Was it usual, since she had only met Vernon twice and forced herself to smile each time? Once on a double date and when Dudley was born. Tuney hadn't wanted her sister to overshadow her at the wedding.

Piggy eyes narrowed at Lucius. "Is this her husband? He looks sixty. No wonder she ran off. Disgusting—"

"Her future father-in-law." Lucius was pink in the face, afraid to breathe in too much Muggle air. "Where is she? Sullying herself with a Muggle?"

Vernon frowned, telling Lily he didn't know what the word "sullying" meant. "Where's Tuney?" she repeated, not wanting to see Lucius and James form a temporary truce to dismember her brother-in-law. "The sooner I see her, the sooner we leave, Vernon."

With a grunt, Vernon waddled up the stairs. Lily stared at the clock as she heard Vernon yell, "There are three of them in here, Petunia!"

Ever the drama queen, Petunia swept down the stairs with an air about her that _they_ were inconveniencing _her._ She folded her arms over her pink floral dress and did her best to look down on them. "Lily."

James was never one for mind games. Lucius had learned that first hand. Lily wondered if Petunia was about to learn as well. "Where is my daughter? I'm not solving riddles or letting Lily beg. You're going to tell me where she is, or you're going to get me thrown in jail again." He jerked his thumb in Lucius's direction. "Ask him. I turned his nuts to fire ants the other day and I won't hesitate to do the same to whatever you have down there."

"You will not to talk to my wife like that!" Vernon roared, but all of his bravery deflated with the rest of him when James jabbed his wand between the man's many chins.

Petunia smirked. She knew the law. Magic against a Muggle would earn James more than the slap on the wrist he got for hexing Lucius. "Probably in the hospital."

In her own way, Lily supposed Petunia thought she was in control. She didn't understand that James would risk a few years jail time for his daughters. He lunged at her just as Dudley opened the door.

"Mum!" He was half carrying Kat, causing James to drop his wand and rush over to her. The panic in his voice reminded Lily that he was just a boy, too young and stupid to understand his mother. "I don't know what happened! She started throwing up and—"

There was a rushing sound in her ears, and Lily's heart started to pound, fearing the worst since Pansy's story of being drugged with Ketamine was still fresh in her mind. Petunia's smug grin brought Lily back to reality, and she returned the favor by punching her in the face.

"What did you do to my baby?" she shrieked as James dragged her away after she kicked her fallen sister in the ribs. "What did you do?!"

"Mum?" Kat blinked sleepily, too drunk to realize what was going on. "I gots a tattoo." She started laughing hysterically and lifted her shirt to show off a clearly infected feather tattoo on stomach. "It's a phoenix feather!"

"It's a peacock feather," Lucius said, deadpanned.

"And," Petunia gasped as she scrambled to her feet, "she slept with Gordon. Try marrying her off now, Lily!"

Kat laughed again before Lily could process that and attack her sister again. She stumbled to her aunt and patted her on the cheek, absolutely reeking of alcohol. "Yeah right! Dudley threw him out a window." She laughed so hard she snorted. "I love college!"

"How did you know that?" Dudley said stupidly.

"I'm not marrying her off," Lily cried.

"Yes you are!" Petunia spun in Kat's direction so fast the girl looked a little dizzy. "She used you as a pawn because that's all you are to her! She had three abortions after you because she was disgusted by what she created—"

"I had three miscarriages!" Lily had never felt so stupid in her life. If there was one thing she and Petunia shared, it was grief. She had wanted to see the same Muggle fertility specialist Tuney had used to bring Dudley into the world. "Tuney—"

"Hermione is smarter than you," she went on as if Lily hadn't spoken. "She does everything better. It's not your fault though. Lily could never be bothered to give you the same attention."

When James realized that Kat's sluggish, drunken brain was understanding this, he grabbed her and apparated. Lucius did the same, realizing that Dudley had prevented her from sleeping with Gordon. This left Lily, alone with the Dursleys.

"None of that is true," Lily said quietly, feeling angry, sad, and ashamed at the same time. Petunia's cheek was already starting to swell. "Mum loved you, Tuney—"

"She loved you more," she said stiffly.

Lily shook her head. "She just missed me when I was off at school… You tried to-to ruin my daughter's life—"

"You ruined your daughter's life," Petunia spat, eager to make her feel worse than she already felt. "Raising her in a world where she can be sold like a prized breeding mare yet letting her live in a bubble where such barbaric things will never happen to her! The first chance you got, you dumped her on the first taker! For what? So you wouldn't have to deal with her anymore?"

"To keep her safe!" Lily cried. "She's looked up to you, Tuney! She thinks you love her like a daughter!"

Petunia smirked. "Then she really is as stupid as you her believe to be!"

"I don't think she's stupid!" Was this what had been going on all these years? Lily had given her privacy when it came to Kat's letters with her sister, a grown woman. All this time, she had thought (hoped) that Petunia was comforting her, getting carried away with her own memories of jealousy and that Kat had seen herself in Petunia. It never occurred to Lily that all of this might be intentional. "How could you do this?"

Petunia snorted. "How could you let me?"

* * *

Kat slept the morning away and only peeled her eyes open as Lily was applying paste to that horrible tattoo. She wondered if her daughter remembered anything. The whole school was talking (according to Hermione), and Minerva was considering suspending her after one week back.

"Mum." Her eyes squeezed shut at the sunlight, which wasn't that bright considering it was nearly dinner time. "Did Malfoy break up with me? For the tattoo? And the drinking? And applying to Oxford."

So that was what Petunia told her, that further immersing herself in the Muggle world would chase him away. Lily did her best to smile. "No… Tuney isn't that bright, Kat. And I don't think you're going to get into Oxford."

"She's says I'm smarter than you think," Kat mumbled before covering her face with her pillow.

"Petunia doesn't know me as well as she thinks." The bitterness in her voice made her wince. "You're very smart Kat, but you don't have a Muggle education. I think Oxford might think you're transcript is a prank."

"What's a transcript?" Oh what she would give to see that application. Lily covered her laugh with a sigh and poured her hungover daughter a glass of water. "Mum?" She hummed to show she was listening. "Dad said that Aunt Petunia doesn't love me this morning, but I forget why."

Lily gaped. The jumble of a thousand words that wanted to burst out of her amounted to nothing. With a humorless laugh, she put on her best _you're dad's an idiot_ face on and handed her the water. "You know how he worries, Kat. Tuney loves you like a daughter," she lied. "But… She seems a little reckless, if you ask me, letting you and Dudley drink like that. Could you do me a favorite and stop writing to her for a while? So Dad doesn't worry."

Kat smiled to herself and started to doze. "Hermione said he's scared of the Muggle world."

"Yes." The girl was so out of it that she didn't hear the sarcasm in Lily's voice. "That's definitely it."

* * *

Back in her library, Lily had a dozen balls of parchment around her desk. _Never contact me again… I hate you… Stay away from my daughter or…_ She put her face in her hands, wishing she had it in her to cry. Who knows what could've happened to Kat. Lily didn't like the sound of that Gordon fellow. But for some reason, Severus always said it was her biggest flaw, she couldn't bring herself to hate Petunia. She couldn't make herself hate anyone except herself.

* * *

 _1996_

 _They were trying to take over Lestrange Manor. There were at least twenty prisoners in the dungeons, Muggle and Wizard alike. Somehow, Kat later realized it was with Narcissa's help, they were able to take down the wards. The aurors were with them because, again somehow, they knew the Death Eaters were holding a meeting._

 _Chaos erupted as soon as the wards fell down._

 _Kat managed to stun a few. In fact, she had just hexed Avery into a stupor when Goyle grabbed her arm from behind and twisted it out of its socket. Kat screamed in shock, not expecting it. Death Eaters usually thought physical fighting was beneath them._

 _He flipped her around and flung her wand to the ground. As it landed in the mud, Kat felt like she suddenly the size of a mouse, no worse, as weak as an earthworm as Goyle shoved her to the ground and jumped on top of her. She struggled, doing her best to scratch him as his meaty hands tried to wrap themselves around her neck._

 _"Greg!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy rushing towards him. He looked startled, and in her panic, Kat just knew that he was going to help his bodyguard finish her off with tortuous magic instead of fists. Goyle turned his head slightly, distracted for a split second and giving Kat a chance._

 _Sirius gave her a knife for her fifteenth birthday, and Dad told her to always keep it in her boot. Kat had never used it until today. She felt the hot blood spurting on her face and into her mouth before she realized she stabbed him in the neck. She would never forget the shock on his face as she ripped out her knife and shoved him off._

 _Malfoy stopped in his tracks as he watched her sob and crawl to her wand. She wasn't the soldier Mad-Eye thought she was. Like a baby, she apparated home to Mum and cried in her arms until Dad and Hermione came home._

With a gasp, Kat woke up to darkness. For a moment, she thought she was at Lestrange Manor, waiting for Malfoy to run over to her and finish what Goyle started. Her eyes slid to the clock at her nightstand.

In three hours, she was getting married.

* * *

 _1996_

 _The Potters liked to pretend that everything was alright. They still had feasts at Black Manor and tonight were still hosting their annual ball to raise money for lycanthropy research. Mum begged Father not to disable their floo and wait on the grounds, and now, Draco knew why. Did she know about the dogs? Perhaps she simply didn't want his future_ _ **wife**_ _to be captured by the Dark Lord._

 _He was sick, so he didn't join his father and Crabbe and Goyle Sr. in the efforts to capture the Potter family. He doubted Mother wouldn't have let him anyway. At the time, she said it was because they were being reckless, that Goyle was still too angry over Potter killing his son. Did she know about the dogs?_

 _They fell asleep by the fire waiting for Dad to come home, gloating over the praise he received from the Dark Lord. He apparated into the parlor screaming._

 _Blood. The sickening smell burned his nose before he's feverish body had the energy to allow him to open his eyes to see it all over the carpet. Father was gripping his leg and sobbing from the pain. He had never seen his father cry._

 _"Dogs!" he howled. "They had wolves!"_

 _Draco felt sick as he watched Mother fumble with a pillow to use to try to stop the bleeding._

 _"Lupin?" Mother asked, flinching when she realized it couldn't be the full moon. Like they would have the lycanthropy ball on the full moon, Draco forced himself to think. "What-what happened, Lucius?"_

 _"You-you're going to have to chop it!" Father yelled, panicked. "I'm going to lose my leg."_

 _"Dippy," Mother snapped. "Get the salve."_

 _But Mother was rubbish at healing salves and potions. Poisons were her specialty. Father knew this and tried to crawl away. They didn't know that the salves and potions were being supplied by Lily Potter._

 _"They-they ripped Vincent and Greggory to pieces." He gagged but because of pain or the fresh memories, Draco didn't know. "One was eating my leg! Then Potter blew a whistle, and they stopped!"_

 _Mother shushed him and applied a salve that instantly stopped the bleeding. Draco remembered sitting by his bedside all night, wondering if his father was going to die._

"Draco!" Mother had found her way into his room at Hogwarts. Blaise was probably all too happy to show her. "What are you doing still sleeping?" His heart was pounding, and for a moment, he thought he was back in the summer of 1996. "You're getting married in less than two hours!"

This couldn't be happening.

* * *

James held Kat's arm so tightly as they walked down the aisle that she occasionally winced, but she didn't tell him to loosen his grip, and he certainly wasn't going to let her go, not in the slightest. Everyone was silent as they walked down the Great Hall of Malfoy Manor. Remus was marrying them, looking as awkward as ever as he watched them slowly make their way down the aisle.

"Kat," James whispered.

"I'll be okay," she lied.

"I think you will," he said honestly. "But if you're not…"

"Hasn't Sirius told you?" She smiled, but it didn't quiet reach her eyes. "Mum didn't make a Vow. I have to get married because Malfoy and I are expecting quadruplets."

"Dumb dog," he muttered.

"I was hoping he'd say there was no way since I'm not fat." Kat frowned. "Maybe I should lay off the cakes."

"Are you nuts? You have to have cake at your wedding." They stopped at the altar, and James looked up to see that Malfoy was scared shitless. Good. "And…"

"Dad, I think I can take them in a fight." She put both her hands in his, hoping that he wouldn't notice her tear filled eyes. "And if you don't think I can, obviously you didn't teach me enough."

James forced himself to smile, even though he wanted to scoop her up and run off to take her to the Gryffindor Quidditch practice going on at Hogwarts. "I'll give you some pointers during the father daughter dance."

Before she could answer, James forced himself to walk away and sit with Lily and Hermione. They both could stall and talk to each other for hours. He kissed Lily's temple when she started crying softly. His wife didn't see Malfoy gently wipe a tear off Kat's cheek with his thumb. The gesture and the concern in the boy's eyes made James think that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

It didn't feel real. In fact, the marriage contract never did. His parents rushed through it so fast that he never got a chance to process it. Potter was still playing jokes and acting like a child, so he knew this morning was just as much a slap in the face to her as it was to him.

She was beautiful in her white dress robes, but then again, when wasn't she? Her sad face ruined it though as her father walked away. He tried wiping her tears away to show that he was on her side in this, but like him, she was barely listening to Lupin's words.

Actually, she was listening far less than he was because when he leaned in to kiss her, Potter jumped and wiped her mouth. Black's bark like laughter made him want to die.

* * *

"This feels more like a funeral," Kat mumbled as she robotically danced with Malfoy after the ceremony. She scowled as she saw Ginny with Daphne Greengrass, still laughing over the fact that Kat had wiped her mouth after they kissed as husband and wife. It was a reflex!

"Why are you standing on my feet?" Malfoy grunted as he tried to dance.

Kat stuck her nose in the air. "It's how I dance with my dad."

"You weigh five hundred pounds. Get off."

"No."

"You don't know how to dance, do you?"

"Neville doesn't mind." Kat swore under her breath as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Things almost felt… _normal_ between them. As expected, Malfoy hardened. "Sorry. He's not here, if you didn't notice."

"I can't imagine why he would be," Malfoy hissed.

 _Because I asked him to be._ At least Kat knew better than to say that. "Look, Malfoy, I…"

"I had a dream last night," he confessed. "About Father and the dogs. And how your father used the whistle to save him."

"Whistle…" Dad didn't… Kat perked up. "You mean my flute?"

"Your flute," he repeated dumbly. He forgot that she was on his feet and tried to twirl her to the music. Another dumb move. Distantly, Kat heard Ginny laugh loudly when she stumbled. "So you…"

"I thought it was you." Kat blushed at the memory. "I thought you were getting revenge for me killing Goyle. Since I apparated before you could finish the job."

 _Kat heard the screams as soon as they apparated home. She spotted Crabbe and Goyle Sr., or what was left of them, and almost followed Mum as she tried to shield her daughters and rush them inside. Then she saw the blonde hair._

 _The flute was kept around her neck and resembled a small charm. It grew to normal size at her touch, and Ginny jokingly called it her dick necklace because of its shape and since it elongated at her touch, and she put her mouth on it. Ginny was a bitch._

 _Death and Eater stopped and started wagging their tales at the sound of the flute's music, thinking Kat was going to play fetch with them. Her stomach lurched when one of them picked up Crabbe Sr.'s head. With a pop, Malfoy was gone._

 _"How could you do that?" Hermione screamed as Death, muzzle now washed of blood, pranced around the parlor with his new squeaky toy. "He's just going to try to kill us again!"_

 _"It was Malfoy," Kat said weakly. Then, she corrected herself, not wanting Hermione to think she meant Lucius. "Draco."_

 _"So?" Hermione yelled. "The one who called me mudblood? The one who said I'm not a Potter? He's just like his father! He'll kill us given the chance too!"_

 _"I…" Kat shivered, despite the fact that it was summer, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I…"_

 _"Am in love with him?" Hermione filled in for her. "Well it doesn't matter! He'd kill you for a pat on the head from Voldemort. How could you be so stupid?"_

 _"Hermione." Dad was firm, almost yelling. Was there ever a time when he had to yell at Hermione? Kat wasn't sure. "Go to bed."_

 _"But—"_

 _"I said go to bed."_

 _Hermione's eyes watered. Before she left, she said, "You're going to regret this."_

 _Dad narrowed his eyes until she left. "Kat…"_

 _"I'm sorry." She was fully expecting a lecture. Hermione was always right, after all._

 _Dad smiled and scratched Eater behind his ears as the dog gave him puppy eyes, begging for more peanut butter. "There's nothing to be sorry for. If someone's going to die, and you don't want them to, don't ever hesitate to help them, Kat. This is war but… we're still human. We still love."_

Kat wrinkled her nose. "Everyone thinks I'm in love with you. For some reason."

"People are stupid." Malfoy grinned, and Kat tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in her chest. "Although you did get a peacock feather tattoo. Mother says that your mother says it will scar into a white feather."

"Phoenix feather!" Kat groaned, remembering the Malfoy's prized albino peacocks. "I fucking hate you."

Malfoy grimaced. Proper ladies didn't curse. "I hate the idea of bringing you out in public."

She wasn't a broom for him to show off to his friends! Kat planted her feet firmly on his again, feeling satisfied when he grunted in pain. "Good. Because Sirius thinks I'm going on bedrest after this. The quadruplets aren't as big as they should be."

"Don't touch me tonight."

"What part of bedrest don't you understand, Malfoy?" Despite her steady, cheeky tone, Kat glanced at the clock in fear. What _was_ going to happen tonight?

* * *

Until now, Draco had never had the… _pleasure_ of speaking with Ginevra. He supposed it was what he deserved for trying to avoid James Potter.

"So you and Kat are married," Ginevra said coolly. "I think she'll make a stunning widow, don't you?"

"I can't leave the quadruplets fatherless, now can I?" Draco said with false cheer, swearing when he realized they were walking by Black, who started choking on the five crème puffs he had crammed into his mouth.

With a bratty eye roll, Ginevra grabbed him by the arm and behind a rather large ice sculpture. "Kat's scared out of her wits."

"That explains a lot," he drawled.

Ginevra went on with her threatening speech as if he hadn't spoken. "If I hear any horror stories in the morning… I killed Crabbe and the Lestrange brothers. You're nothing but a bug that belongs under my shoe, Malfoy."

She was a Weasley! There was no reason to be afraid of her, right? "We all know what this marriage is, Weasley. We'll ignore each other, have a child or two, and then go back to ignoring each other. Stop being so dramatic."

Draco stormed up to his room before Ginevra could get another word in. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he was in such a rush to get away from her. His own words hurt more than hers.

* * *

Dinner was a silent affair. It wasn't because her boys were enjoying their meal as usual. No, Vernon was mad at her. He hated that Dudley knew about magic and that she wrote to Katherine. Her husband didn't understand that without Lily Mummy and Daddy would be alive, that Mummy would've appreciated her.

Lily thought she was so perfect with her perfect, fairytale life, her castle-like home and prince-like husband. She never had to live in the real world, and yet again, none of the harm she deserved came her way. Petunia didn't want to talk. She thought for sure she could get revenge. Potter would've divorced her—

"Mum?" Poor Dudley was confused. He enjoyed a wild night with his cousin and her credit card, not understanding how horrible his aunt was.

"Yes, Duddykins?" she asked, pouring all her love for him into those two words. Her baby was absolutely perfect, unlike that stupid spoiled brat Lily produced.

Dudley looked at his empty plate, shaking his head when she started refilling it for him. "How-how'd you know that Gordon tried to give Kat Ketamine?"

Petunia opened and closed her mouth several times. She knew because Gordon's Mum found a drugged girl in his room after coming home early from a vacation with her husband. With promises that her husband would invest in Vernon's drill company, she helped her dump the girl in London.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, baby," she lied nervously.

Luckily, Dudley was a good boy who loved his mother and didn't question her. He did look uncomfortable though. "Oh… So Kat isn't going to live with us?"

Petunia pretended to be disappointed. "I'm afraid not, Dudders. Lily sold her off to the blonde man's son."

"It's not fair," Dudley muttered, and Petunia decided to let it go. Life wasn't fair, but at least Lily would have to live with the fact that she ruined her daughter's life.

* * *

"I saw you talking to Ginny." Potter standing at the door to their room. Her hand was still on the doorknob, and she was still in her dress robes. She was probably afraid to change in front of him. Draco was in too foul of a mood to be a gentlemen and leave. "You had three options. Talk to my dad, Sirius, or Ginny. And you picked the worst."

"Thanks for the heads up." Draco folded his arms over his chest. He was lying on their bed and sulking. "You have your own room. A house elf will show you."

"We…" Potter pursed her lips. Pureblood newlyweds were expected to share a room until an heir was on the way. Neither one of them wanted to go down that road. "What are we going to do?"

Potter was right. The wedding did feel like a funeral, and it drained him. Perhaps that was what made him be honest, even with himself. He was too tired to act like he hated her.

And so, Draco said what he had been pushing down ever since he saw her with Longbottom in Hogsmeade third year. "I love you."

 **So I have a confession, I have been hoarding this chapter for about two weeks. For some reason, I only seem to be happy about the writing every other chapter. BUT a lot of what I'm looking forward to writing takes places after the wedding. That being said, if there's something that can make the wedding better and less rushed, please let me know. You're reviews inspire me a lot. ;)**

 **Thank you to reviewers RegdirbArze EzraBridger, Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, Nataly SkyPot, and gr8rockstarrox!**

 **RegdirbArze EzraBridger: I'm so sorry I forgot to answer you! This story revolves a lot around Kat falling in love with Draco, and Draco accepting what's wrong with him. (There will be more hints for that next chapter. And a Neville scene!)**

 **One last note: I was bad and started yet another new story instead of focusing on this one. (I love starting new stories!) It's a Snarriet and called** _ **The Halfblood Princess.**_ **It's pretty f-ing weird though, so I don't mind if you aren't interested. Just thought I'd let you know. :)**


	5. Love After Marriage?

Chapter 5 Love After Marriage?

Kat ran. It was what she did. The past few weeks were like a bad dream, and Malfoy's words made her realize that she wasn't going to wake up. Unless he did something horrible to her, she didn't have the power to divorce him. Only men did, and if he loved her, she was never going to escape.

"What happened?!" Hermione asked frantically as Kat ran into the dormitory and started hyperventilating. "GINNY!"

In a flash, Ginny skidded into the room and started checking Kat over. "Where did he hurt you? What did he do?"

"He…" Kat started panting, even though it wasn't the run that exhausted her. "He…"

"I'm calling the aurors." Ginny started running off but froze when Kat finally managed to speak.

"He said he loved me!"

"That's it?" Hermione said flatly. What did she mean _that's it_?!

"This is bad." At least Ginny understood. "This is the worst thing that could've happened!"

"Uh huh." Hermione rolled her eyes. Didn't she understand what this meant?! "Ten times worse than what we originally thought."

"What am I going to do?" Kat sunk into her bed. "I thought they were just in it for the money. Look at what he said to Ginny!"

"Does this really change anything, Kat?" Stupid Hermione always trying to see reason. "This was why Mum wanted me to do it. Because I would actually be able to get out of it."

What? Her sister swore when Kat and Ginny stared at her admission. Mum originally wanted Hermione to marry Malfoy? That couldn't be true. Mum wouldn't put Hermione through that… But she put Kat through it…

"Malfoy wouldn't _want_ to marry me," Hermione said feebly. "And I wouldn't want to marry him. Mrs. Malfoy was too smart to agree to that."

"You knew." There was no way. Kat gaped when Hermione shrugged, too shocked to process what she meant by _And I wouldn't want to marry him_. "You knew this whole time! And you didn't think to prepare me?!'

"Mum was afraid—"

"And you didn't tell because the two of you are best friends!" Kat gritted her teeth when Hermione rolled her eyes. Aunt Petunia was right. The two of them were as thick as thieves. So what if she didn't like books and school like Mum and Hermione? That didn't mean they had to keep things about her own life from her! "You—"

"It doesn't even matter, Kat." For some reason, the resentment was clear in _Hermione's_ eyes. "Because we all know how you feel about him! The same boy who called me a mudblood—"

"So this is my fault?" Kat spat. "My fault that you and Mum conspired against me? Because you didn't like the way I looked at your childhood bully?"

 _"Conspired?_ " Hermione laughed bitterly. "You've always been jealous of me! For what? Because I like to read? Because I care enough about myself to think ahead! Face it, Kat. You thought this would just go away on its own accord, and it blew up in your face!"

"Because I had a few weeks to let it sink in while you had two bloody years!" Kat stomped off, not entirely sure where she would go. She couldn't believe this.

* * *

Draco expected quite a few reactions. Katherine wasn't nice, so he expected her to either yell and say she'd never love him or for her to laugh in his face. He didn't expect her to run all the way to Gryffindor Tower.

"How was last night?" That was just what he needed. A question like that from his mother. Draco sunk in his seat as her face fell.

They were in Three Broomsticks. Going out to eat was a luxury Draco hadn't experienced since the War ended. Before he could make something up, Potter's family arrived. Potter narrowed his eyes, waiting for him to admit that he had chopped his daughter up into little, bite-sized pieces.

Speak of the Devil, Katherine swooped in and sat in between him and a very hungover Sirius Black. "The quadruplets were successfully conceived."

Black, yet again, started choking. It seemed a regular occurrence, so Draco decided to ignore it along with everyone else. He noted that Lily Potter was very pale and that Katherine looked like she hadn't slept a wink.

"Kat…" Mrs. Potter's eyes filled with tears.

"What's going on?" Potter wasn't as stupid as Father thought. "Yesterday…"

"Malfoy said…" Katherine faltered and then blushed. Potter raised his eyebrows. "Never mind."

Draco was too mortified to say complete her sentence. He had a feeling that if she would be less upset if he had called her a foul name. "Drop it."

"So." Now that they had money, Father felt on top of the world, like his wealth made him head of the family, not who he was. He sat at the head of the table while Potter sat next to his wife. "Draco intends to follow in my footsteps after he graduates."

"You mean be unemployed?" Katherine asked lightly as she pushed around her eggs.

Father ignored her. His son's wife wasn't going to get in the way of the benefits of the marriage. "Do you have any aspirations?" He glared at Mrs. Potter, faulting her if Katherine wanted to do something besides run the household with Mother. "Any _career_ plans?"

"Nope." Her face was blank, but her bright green eyes were hard. "I plan on spending the rest of my days making soap and tapestries."

"Excellent." The sarcasm wasn't lost to Father. He simply didn't care. "Your first event will be the Yule Ball. Cissa already has most of the plans complete, but she will show the basics in the upcoming months."

The look Potter and his daughter shared told Draco that it would be wise if he didn't attend this year's Yule Ball. They looked like they were actually looking forward to it. He vaguely wondered if Father would make it to old age.

"And Draco and Cissa will be going on vacation together next week." Huh? Father's words even drove Mrs. Potter out of her depression and caught her attention. Why would he…? Draco turned scarlet when he realized what Father was talking about. "They'll be gone until October."

"Lucius," Mother whispered. She was hopeful for this sham of a marriage. Little did she know that he ruined everything last night. "Is that wise?"

"Minnie won't allow that." Potter was tired of Father throwing his weight around, and frankly, Draco was too. However, he had a feeling that McGonagall might, if Katherine went along. "This is their NEWTs year, and she's made enough accommodations as it is. What is this about anyway?"

"It is none of your concern." One day of marriage and Father was already used to ignoring Katherine. He didn't see that infuriatingly curious look in her eyes that Draco had seen solve mysteries for the past six years. She was going to divorce him by Christmas.

* * *

"Do you think they're," Ginny lowered her voice, "you know?"

"That's disgusting," Kat whispered as they headed off to the Quidditch field for their free period. Neither one of them were talking to Hermione, who always hid behind a book when they were around.

"Purebloods are disgusting," Ginny hissed. "What if you have to raise their sprog so their bloodline is pure?!"

"You're pureblood, you dumb bint." Kat grinned when Ginny pretended to try to shove her into the ground. "I never took Malfoy for a Momma's boy."

"Because they aren't just mother and son, stupid." Ginny did her best to keep a straight face but only wound up snorting rather loudly. "Anyway, it'll give us plenty of time to plot. Lucius won't appreciate us partying while his son's away. And if he thinks he's in charge, he'll throw you out when we ruffle his feathers and embarrass him just when he's getting back on his feet. Half your dowry's worth it."

Kat chewed on her lip guiltily. When they went to the Muggle world without Hermione, Ginny went crazy. The sky was the limit, as she said. Worse, Kat had a feeling that Daphne was coming too. "Dad will be so upset."

Ginny frowned as if to say, _So?_ "We deserve the Muggle world, where we aren't baby factories and used for our dowries. And if your dad's going to be upset, then imagine how Lucius will feel. You'll be back in Gryffindor Tower in no time."

"Yeah…" But was that what she wanted? She wanted to talk to Neville so badly, but he hadn't said a word to her since the train ride. He sent her wedding invitation back unopened. If she didn't have some foolish hope for Neville, Kat wasn't so sure she would be avoiding Malfoy right now.

* * *

"Absolutely not." McGonagall had no sympathy. Draco was already getting jittery with dread. "As your wife, Katherine has the right to know—"

"That is none of your business," Father snapped. "Draco is of age. He has every right to come and go as he pleases."

McGonagall didn't get to where she was cowering to any man, especially men like Father. She looked down on him like he was a dead bug under her boot. "I am already allowing Draco more absences than I would allow the typical student. And he is the only student with the Dark Mark that I have allowed back into the castle. Do not give me reason to change my mind, Lucius."

Draco could see Severus smirking at Father from his portrait. The portrait never spoke, no matter how many times Draco asked for advice, but it did enjoy seeing Father knocked down a few pegs.

"Yes, yes," Father grumbled. "We are so indebted to Lily Potter. I think a lifetime with Katherine is payment enough."

McGonagall curled her lip. "Actually, I am doing this for Narcissa." Mother jumped but as usual, decided to leave all the talking to Father. "She has saved so many of my students. And I cannot repay her for that. I think she would want her son to have a happy marriage. One without secrets and lies." She stared Father down until he looked away. "My answer is no."

* * *

Since Kat's Gryffindor bed was near Hermione, she was hoping that Malfoy would be in the dungeons tonight. Unfortunately she found him sulking in their bed, just like last night. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure what to say. The day was easy enough for her to forget about him with Ginny's wild ideas and being mad at Hermione and Mum.

"I meant what I said." Malfoy refused to budge. "Last night."

"To me or to Ginny?" She was too upset to sleep last night and by how haggard she looked, she knew Malfoy knew it. She would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"To you." It was a rhetorical question and she only wanted him to answer it if he said to Ginny! Even better, he should add that he simply wanted to sleep with her last night and thought that was the way to do it. "I want this, Katherine."

If he loved her, then he wouldn't. He would want her to love him too. Kat was surprised when he sighed and rose from the bed. He looked… afraid. "I know this is wrong, but… I want a chance."

Kat watched him go and didn't have the courage to let one confused word fly out of her mouth. Now that she was alone, she could admit it. She didn't know what she wanted.

* * *

"I loooove vodka!" Kat yelled. She had no idea where she was. Now that the War was over, she enjoyed being a follower. She was never much of a leader anyway. The only time she was one was when she was Neville's second in command. The thought made her take another shot.

"What?" Ginny yelled. They could barely hear each other over the music. For the past week and a half, she had been avoiding Malfoy, doing her best to ignore how pale and sad he looked.

Daphne grinned and pulled Ginny closer by her waist, kissing her neck. They loved the Muggle world, where they didn't have to hide. "She's sloshed! Skeeter's on her way, so I'm going to have to blend in with the crowd!"

"Who?" The room seemed to be spinning. With a blink of the eye, Daphne was gone, but Kat didn't care. She didn't care much about anything, honestly. She couldn't remember the last time she felt anything besides anger, fear, or confusion. The last time she truly felt happy was a distant, blurry memory. Was _that_ even real?

Ginny wanted her to give Skeeter a bitter drunken interview that would embarrass the hell out of Lucius, but when Kat saw the beetle woman, she stumbled in the other direction. She was a weepy sort of drunk tonight. When Ginny grabbed her arm, she smacked her hand away and kept walking until she was outside and could finally hear.

"Take this." Ginny handed her a small pill. "You'll feel better."

Kat shook her head and tossed it to the ground, ignoring Ginny's swears and complaints about how expensive it was. "I'm ssssick of ever-everything."

"That's why you have to talk to Skeeter," Ginny pressed.

"And then what?" Kat roared. The crisp, cold air made her shiver and run her hands over her arms. So much makeup that she felt she had on a second face, a tiny black dress with a plunging neckline. This wasn't her. But then again, what was? "I am _miserable_ Ginny! I have been long before the Malfoys came along!"

"And look!" Ginny snapped. "You're doing nothing about it as usual! Hermione was right!"

Kat cried into her hands as Ginny stomped off. Her best friend was right. She should've taken the pill.

* * *

The next morning, after sleeping it off at the Hog's Head, Kat stumbled into her room with Malfoy to find a clean or at least not wrinkled uniform. Today's lessons were going to be a delight.

She was so hungover that she could barely open her eyes and didn't notice Malfoy in their bed until he groaned in pain. Even though it would wear off by the time she had her Transfiguration test, Kat downed the hangover potion she had been trying to save. Her headache and blurriness cleared, and she tried not to think about how bad she would feel in an hour when it wore off. "Malfoy? What-what are you doing here?"

That was a stupid question. This was his room after all. But, in an attempts to be a gentlemen she supposed, he never stayed long when she was around. She should be asking him why he wasn't in the hospital.

His once pale skin was flushed with fever. The whites of his eyes were yellow, and he pushed himself up to reveal a rash on his chest.

"He lives here." Mrs. Malfoy pushed past her to put a damp cloth to her son's forehead. Her voice was cold and made it clear that she thought Kat should be taking care of him instead of her. "Where were you?"

"Out." Kat's heart sunk as Malfoy started coughing and his mother held up a bowl for him to throw up in. "Does he have the flu?"

"Does it matter?" Mrs. Malfoy didn't bother to turn to look at her. "It didn't matter to you last night… Lie down, sweetheart."

"Mum," Malfoy whispered. His voice was so raspy from the sick that she barely detected his worried, slightly reprimanding tone.

"He should see a healer," Kat nearly yelled. She had never seen anyone so sick. "Mum—"

"Don't you dare," Mrs. Malfoy hissed finally turning to face her. She put her hands on her hips, reminding Kat of Mrs. Weasley when the twins did something really bad. "He doesn't want to see one. And there's nothing they can do for him anyway."

"Are you sure?" The rumors weren't true. St. Mungo's never refused a patient, whether they had a Dark Mark or not. Mum didn't either. "What's wrong with him?"

"You're stressing him out." So now this was _her_ fault. Malfoy started breathing heavily, so Kat decided to drop it. For now anyway.

* * *

Katherine never left his bedside for the rest of the week, which was surprising. She wasn't exactly nurturing. Or at least, he had thought she wasn't.

"You can tell me," she whispered one night when Mother was pretending to be asleep on a nearby sofa bed. Katherine usually slept in a chair curled up by the fire. "Were you cursed?"

"…" He had never been so ashamed in his entire life. He wouldn't even say what was wrong to himself. "Yes."

"Oh." She put a warm hand in his clammy one before picking it up and placing a lukewarm mug in it. Gently, she guided it to his mouth and forced him to drink. It tasted like liquid honey and eased the burning in his throat. "Mum's recipe. But I made it. So if you start sneezing poop, it's my fault, not hers."

"You're disgusting." Despite his already aching ribs, he laughed. Mother didn't open her eyes but made a repulsed face.

Katherine shrugged and took back the mug. "I think it's nasty… What's the curse?" He didn't answer and felt bad at her panic when he tried to turn away. "Was-was it someone I know? Sirius?"

"No." Draco still had nightmares about that night. The sounds of his mother's screams made him wake up at two in the morning covering his ears more often than not. "I don't like to talk about it."

"Oh… Do you think you could hold something down? I have a stash of sweets hidden under the bed." Although it was pathetic, the concerned look in her eyes made him feel good, like she actually cared about him.

"No." As petty as it was, Draco wanted to ask where she was the other night, what made her so guilty and awkward. Probably out snogging Longbottom. "You can go." He tried to smile. "Stop using me as an excuse to skeeve off classes."

"I'm not leaving." _In sickness and in health._ More like just in sickness. Katherine only showed that she cared when something was wrong, and Draco wasn't sure if that meant she cared when he was in good health or not. She wasn't a willing participant in this, and honestly, if Draco wasn't cursed, he wouldn't be either. He would have wanted to try to win her heart himself.

* * *

Neville knew he should leave her be when he saw Kat in the library. They hadn't spoken since the train ride, and he should admit defeat and keep it that way. Rumor had it that she and Malfoy had the flu all week. She didn't look sick.

"Never thought I'd see the day you were willingly in the library." She hadn't noticed him, and he said something anyway. Maybe that was why he had spoken. Neville never took himself for that kind of man.

Kat nearly jumped out of her skin and quickly wiped her eyes so he wouldn't see her crying. "I think Malfoy's dying."

Well, she never was one for small talk. Whenever she tried to talk to his grandmother she made of fool of herself. He almost smiled at all the awkward memories.

He looked down at all the books on curses. If she was speaking to Hermione, she would be complaining to Ginny while her sister did all the research. "Why?"

Kat shrugged and wiped her eyes again. "He was so sick… While I was out trying to convince myself to snort coke with Ginny."

He hated it when she did that. She always wanted to make her feelings go away, no matter what the price. Half the time, she didn't even know what she was taking. Muggle poisons, he called them.

"I should go." He didn't have the right to disapprove anymore. "Your mum can help you."

"He doesn't want…" Kat sighed and slammed one of her many books shut. The cloud of dust made her cough. "It makes sense. How his parents say this is his only chance and why they rushed the wedding. I thought it was about the money but…"

Over the past week, Kat was doing her best to ignore her new husband, but out of jealousy anger, Neville couldn't take his eyes off him. As sick as it was, he got some satisfaction out of seeing Malfoy slowly get weaker and weaker. To make matters worse, he actually was dying.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it…" He should go. This was none of his business. So what if he felt bad for relishing in Malfoy's suffering last week? The man stole the love of his life! His grandmother always said his heart was too soft. "Then don't press it. Especially if he's, you know…"

"I-I feel bad because…" Her face scrunched up with the effort not to cry, so Neville stood in front of her, making sure no one would see. "Because I let him know that I don't want to be married to him. And maybe his parents just want him to be happy before he dies. And I'm making him miserable and…"

She covered her face in her hands, and Neville looked around to make sure no one was watching before rubbing her back. All this time, he thought Malfoy had won. Maybe not. Neville only felt ten times worse. He could only imagine how Kat felt. Malfoy wanted to be married, and she only showed him disdain and nonchalance along with a few jokes at his expense. Malfoy loved her, and if he was dying, Neville understood why he panicked, rushed, and accepted the marriage contract.

"Then stop." Neville grimaced when she looked up in confusion. "If Malfoy's dying then make him happy. Do fun things with him…"

"Fall in love with him," Kat finished. Her face was full of betrayal, even though she was the one married to another. "I can't do that."

"You can try." A lot of purebloods hoped for that. Love after marriage. Neville never thought he'd be trying to convince Kat to hope for the same.

"Even if I could… He's going to die." _You're already in love with him,_ Neville thought. "And if I pretend… That's just wrong."

"But he'd die happy." Neville swore when she looked at him as if he were a monster. "Look, he's a bully, and I've hated him for a long time, but… He's probably scared, and he loves you. Just… Take him to the movies. Show him London. Have fun."

 _Those are the things we do. Our secret pleasures._ Neville tried to push those thoughts and memories to the side. He would rather be jealous than feel like a cruel, horrible person when Malfoy died alone.

"I'm not taking him to the movies," Kat said stubbornly. "Only places you hate. Like Chinese buffets."

"So he'll be dead sooner rather than later." Neville winced at his own bad joke. "So you're going to do it?"

"I don't know." She was. Neville had a feeling that she was thinking along the same lines anyway. That was why she was crying. She simply needed him to say it, to give her permission to fall in love with another man.

* * *

On the weekends, Ginny and Daphne slept the morning away at her house, or manor as her father called it. Ginny liked Daphne's mother. She didn't even bat an eye when she walked in to see them in bed together.

But this afternoon, Mrs. Greengrass was nowhere to be found. It wasn't unusual. She liked to travel, but there was a silence about the house that made Ginny uneasy.

Daphne was unusually quiet too. They were tangling in her pure white sheets, and she didn't open her eyes when Ginny ran her hands through her silky blonde hair. "What's the matter?"

With a drowsy hum, Daphne turned away and pretended to be asleep. When Ginny kicked her, she mumbled, "You smell like booze. Brush your teeth, floozy."

"I did. While waiting for you to open your eyes for the past hour." Ginny grinned. "Dumb bitch."

Daphne sat up and glared at her. "Go back to school."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because something's bothering you." As much as Ginny wanted to pretend she didn't notice, Daphne wanted to go out to the Muggle world more and more lately. She didn't want her girlfriend to become addicted.

Daphne glanced at the clock and swore. "People are starting to talk."

"Let them." They talked about Sirius all the time, and it was no one they cared about anyway.

Again her blue eyes slid to the clock. "I could lose my title. Meaning I can't give it to Astoria. Dad would be so mad."

"So?" Daphne would never break up with her. She swore it.

"So…" Daphne sighed and started biting her nails. "I don't want this to end."

"Then what's the problem?" Ginny didn't know what to expect, but what Daphne said next wasn't it.

"So if I get married, then we can stay together, like Black and Lupin." What? Sirius… No! There was no way she was sharing Daphne for a fucking title and so Astoria's future sprogs could have a place in the Wizgamont! "I'm not going to take it seriously, Ginny! I just want to make sure we don't get in trouble. Dad would kill me—"

"And you'd come live with me!"

"You don't understand." She didn't. Her parents weren't the disgusting purebloods that started this War! Yes, the Greengrasses were neutral, but they were as good as the Dark if they perpetuated these old fashion notions. Things never changed because the purebloods had so much power.

And sure, only Kat and Hermione knew about Daphne, but she was sure her parents wouldn't care! Dad tossed away his title for his work long before she was born and didn't give a damn about the looks and whispers he got in public. Daphne shouldn't either.

 _But how couldn't she?_ Ginny thought to herself. The wizarding population was so small because of the lack of fertility, and the War had cut their tiny population in half. There was a reason they hid from Muggles. There were just too many of them. Anyone who chose not to have children was seen as selfish.

Homosexual couples were seen as mentally ill. Some families forced their children into St. Mungo's if they refused to marry. Some families like the Blacks. Sirius still had a nervous twitch about him if he got a whiff of a sedative potion.

What if Daphne got sent away? As Ginny watched her bite her nails, she could see that was what Daphne was really worried about and that it was easier for her to pretend it was about superficial things like titles and whispers. She couldn't exactly fault her either.

"Mistress." One of the Greengrass house elves poked her head in the door. "You're first… Well only suitor is here to see you."

Daphne rolled her eyes. She wasn't exactly a catch with her attitude and foul mouth. It was one of the many things Ginny loved about her. "Who is the poor idiot? Tell him I have to get dressed."

"Well, Mistress…" The house elf squirmed uncomfortably.

Daphne tossed a pillow in her direction to show her impatience. "Come on. Out with it. What's the poor idiot's name?"

"Percy Weasley."

 **This was only read over once, so let me know if I need to do another edit!**

 **Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, babynora1983, Nataly SkyPot, FireRuby, and Vi38!**

 **Ern Estine 13624 and amata0221: I am sort of considering having them have triplets or quadruplets! XD**


	6. A True Match Made in Hell

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 6 A True Match Made in Hell

Malfoy got better. He was stiff and confessed that he would eventually get sick again, but still wouldn't say what was wrong. On top of all that, Lucius had sent him _extra_ homework! His son was dying, and he was worrying about his maths?

"Give me that," Kat snapped. Before he could protest, she snatched the stack of parchment out of his hands. "What is this?"

"Father bought an accounting firm from a retiring goblin with part of your dowry," Draco said tiredly. "He got it cheap because the goblin was going senile and deluded himself into hating all other goblins. Since he wants me to work with him next year, he wants me to become an accountant overnight."

"Right…" Kat snatched a quill out of the cup by their bed and started chewing on it. How long did Malfoy have to live? Some people liked to go about their lives as usual, but if it was her, Kat was sure she'd be waterskiing in the Bahamas right now, not worrying about a bloody test. "I'll do it."

Malfoy shook his head. "It's too hard."

Of course. Just because she didn't like to read didn't mean she was stupid! He raised his eyebrows when she glared at him. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said that," Malfoy said slowly, softly, as if he was trying to calm a wild boar. "It's just that I've already failed it myself. This is the second time, and this test is harder."

Dad was a softie, and whenever she was grounded (which was often), he would let her help balance his books and stuff when she complained of boredom. She could fail just as good as Malfoy! Kat grabbed a bottle of ink and started heading for her place by the fire. "I can do it."

"Don't worry about it." Malfoy was trying to nice. Trying to nicely say she was stupid like Mum and Hermione always did. "We have a lot of makeup work. It _is_ NEWTs year."

"I wasn't playing on doing it anyway." She'd fail even better than Malfoy.

He must've sensed how annoyed she was because he dropped it. "Alright…"

* * *

Draco should've known not to let Katherine take that test, but after finishing all his makeup work, he was too tired to do more than copy her answers so it would be in his handwriting. He hated math. Why couldn't Father have bought a law firm?

Katherine failed so horribly that Father called him home to his office after grading it. Great. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck with a tutor for an extra subject during his NEWTs year.

The disappointment was practically radiating off Father. Draco should've known. The only subjects Katherine excelled in were Defense, Herbology, and Care for Magical Creatures. She probably could barely multiply.

"Do you know why I called you in, Draco?" Father asked lightly, trying to act indifferent. It didn't last long because he glared at Draco when he laughed nervously. "I know you didn't take this test. Who did? Blaise?"

Shit. Should he try to deny it? No… That would only earn him more hours with the tutor. "I was still recovering and…"

"If you're going to have a family, Draco," Father said as calmly as he could, "you have to be able to support it."

"You didn't even give me time to study," Draco mumbled childishly. "And I had to finish my makeup work! On top of the school work I already had!"

Father rolled his eyes. "Do you know how I caught you?" Draco shrugged, waiting for Father to joke that a first year could've done better. "Because after the wedding you failed the test. And now, all of the sudden, you got every question right on a harder test… So who was it?"

Draco gaped like a simpleton. There was no way… Katherine wasn't self-conscience about her intelligence for nothing. "That's not possible."

"Who is it?" Father asked again. "I would like to hire him until you can fill the position as partner of the firm. No one gets such a high score on an entrance exam like this. I want to snatch him up before someone else can. Even if I have to make him a permanent partner."

"Well…" Draco squirmed in his seat. Katherine and Father business partners. Yeah right. Now that was a match made in hell. "Can't you just punish me and leave it at that?"

"This is the type of person who could run the company for us," Father pressed. "Make us enough money to buy something better. Like the law firm I know you wanted me to establish. We couldn't afford it and have enough money to wait for it to profit."

"It was Katherine." Draco flushed when Father stared and then laughed in his face. He should've lied. "She feels bad about me being ill. So she thought she was doing me a favor. I figured she couldn't do much worse than I was doing."

Father did his best to stop laughing, but a few chuckles escaped in between his words. "No really. Who was it? Don't tell me you used your allowance to pay someone."

"Katherine." She did it in half the time that was allowed too. Draco felt like he was in some sort of strange dream. Next thing he knew, Ronald Weasley was going to walk in and kiss him. "Do you want to see her papers and compare it to her handwriting? I think she stuffed her Transfiguration essay under the mattress…"

"You can't be serious." Father was still laughing. It wasn't _that_ funny! "Why would Potter teach her? He should've been teaching Longbottom, considering."

"Do you want to work with her?" Now that would be funny. "Spend all day with Katherine and go home for dinner with her?"

"It wasn't her," Father denied. "That's enough, Draco. What? Does she want to work? She'll change her mind when the two of you start trying for an heir." He frowned, suddenly impatient. "And when will that be by the way?"

"I don't know," Draco drawled. He didn't know what was worse. Mother not so subtly mentioning that conceiving can take years for witches and wizards, or Father outright asking him. "She held my hand last week when I was throwing up. She's bound to be pregnant now."

"I want to see her take this test." Father waved him off. "And the two of you didn't get married to occasionally hold hands. She cheated on the exam because she doesn't want to do her duty as a wife. I'll put her in her place. Bring her over next weekend."

"Okay…" This weekend was going to be a delight.

* * *

"He said what?" Potter yelled. Draco knew this was a bad idea, but if Potter and Father were fighting, he wouldn't have to tell Katherine that Father thought she was too stupid to do so well on the test. "First of all, Kat doesn't cheat… Not since OWLs and she almost got expelled over History. Second of all, your dad's fucking dead!"

"Well I don't want them working together, obviously," Draco said cautiously. His heart clenched when he realized he had never been alone with Potter. It had barely been three weeks since the wedding, since his family forced him to give away his daughter.

Potter straightened his glasses, as if trying to see right through him. "You forced her to marry you. Let her make her own choices, Malfoy. You owe her that much."

"Your wife—"

"A real man would have dropped the contract." His hazel eyes flashed. "A real man would've taken the chance and confessed his feelings when his love could leave if she wanted to."

"My parents wouldn't have allowed it." _You wouldn't have,_ Draco thought. Father thought he was less than now, so it didn't matter to his parents anymore. On top of all that, this marriage wasn't exactly legal, since Katherine didn't know his curse. When she found out, she was going to annul the marriage in a heartbeat. He had only a few months to make her see the real him.

"Hmmm…" Potter drummed his fingers on his worn desk. Draco wondered why he hadn't replaced the piece of crap, but upon closer inspection, he saw that someone, a child, had carved drawings all over it. A sloppy _Kat and Dad's Desk_ was written on the top. "I think it's time for Kat to take her life back. She's taking over that firm."

So much for preventing Katherine from taking the test.

* * *

"Lucius will never allow it," Lily whispered as James wrote to Kat. Oh, he would allow it. He had spent the last few months being poor, and he would never risk that again, even if it meant having a woman run his company. "I-I didn't even know she was that good at keeping books."

"She doesn't even know," James muttered. "She's been running the Potter Estate since you grounded her for a year after her OWLs. But she gets nervous. So she thought she was only checking my work by redoing it. She was actually doing the work the first time. I was checking it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lily had the nerve to sound betrayed. He never told her because it was something that just he and Kat had. Just like she and Hermione had their books, their plays, their Muggle Studies lectures at the Ministry, everything. "How long have you been teaching her?"

"Since she was ten." Since Lily and Hermione became inseparable. "When you caught her coloring on the walls."

 _1990_

 _"Go to your room!" Lily snapped. Her eyes widened when Kat glared at her and stayed put. She never looked at her mother like that. "Kat! I would expect this out of a four year old! What is this disgusting thing?"_

 _"Snape," Kat grumbled. James bit the inside of his cheek as he silently stared at the black turd with a big, dripping nose. Snape was still a sore spot with Lily, and James was surprised Kat picked up on it._

 _"Katherine Lily…" Lily gaped and shook her head. "I don't even know what to say! I'm disgusted! Go to your room."_

 _"I want a new room." Kat glared at Hermione, who was pretending to read on the other side of the sitting room. "One that isn't next to_ _ **hers**_ _."_

 _"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"_

 _James sighed as Kat ran off before Lily could see her angry, jealous tears. "Hermione, do me a favor, and go ask the house elves to make your favorite dessert." Hermione ran off before they could see her embarrassed, hurt tears. "That's a good girl."_

 _"Kat used to be a good girl," Lily whispered, trying to hold back tears herself._

 _"If there's one thing I've learned from Sirius and how he grew up, it's that good doesn't always get attention." James caressed her cheek when Lily frowned. "She misses you. How about the two of you go to a Quidditch game this weekend? Her favorite team is playing."_

 _"And Hermione misses her parents," Lily said, not understanding. "I'm not excluding her, James. Especially when Kat is being so mean."_

 _But that wasn't what James meant. Lily could do separate things with Hermione and do separate things with Kat. It was one of the benefits of having a small family. Still, Hermione trying to adjust to a completely different world from her own while struggling with the deaths of her parents. Lily was the only person who made her smile half the time. James couldn't take that away from her._

 _"I know..." A lump formed in his throat. Kat thought Lily loved Hermione more, and he didn't know how to make it right. He would just have to spend more time with her._

"Why didn't you tell me?" Again, Lily had the nerve to be upset when she kept the biggest secret of Kat's life from him.

James shrugged like it was nothing. "I tried. And I didn't want you to stop spending so much time with Hermione. At the time, she needed it."

Lily started to rush out of his office, as if she could make it right seven years later. "I have to…" She froze in the doorway and then deflated. "She hates me. More now than before."

"That's not true." _She loves you and needs you, more now than before._ James wondered if Kat would let go of her resentment so Lily could see that. "Let me… Let her and Hermione make up first. Lils, you fucked up big time with this marriage contract. And I didn't tell Kat, but there was no way we were getting out of it. The hurt you caused isn't going to go away with a hug and a kiss."

Lily turned to face him, fat tears threatening to tumble out of her beautiful green eyes. She forced herself to laugh. "How'd you get so smart, Jamie?"

James grinned. "By spending time with your daughter."

* * *

Kat wrinkled her nose at the letter from Dad. Like hell she would work with Lucius next year. "Dads are dumb."

Malfoy looked up from his Charms essay. "Aren't you going to get started?"

Kat waved him off. "It's not due 'til Wednesday."

"It's Tuesday…"

Work, work, work. That's all Malfoy did! Sick people shouldn't work. They should do whatever the fuck they want! "We should do something this weekend. Me and you. Something we shouldn't do."

Malfoy turned pink. Perv. "Um…"

Was it wrong to tease the dying? Oh well. Kat grinned. "First, I'll take off these pesky dress robes." Now he wouldn't look at her. "And put on my Muggle clothes because we're going to London!"

"I hate you." Malfoy still wouldn't look at her. "And I'm not. I've never been near a Muggle and want to keep it that way."

"It's called a date. Muggles have them before they get married."

"So do commoners."

 _"So do commoners,"_ she mimicked in a whiny voice as she snatched up his quill. "We're going, Malfoy. Because if not, I'll have to go by myself. Me. Surrounded by Muggles. _By myself_."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, seeing right through her since he grew up with conniving, manipulative people all his life. "You suck at being a Slytherin, Potter. Muggles are disgusting. No."

She did so know how to be a Slytherin. "My grandparents were Muggles," she said hotly. Maybe not, since he only looked mildly disgusted. "Fine. I'll just pack my things to get ready to take that test with your stupid dad this weekend. _And_ let him know that you've been sleeping elsewhere since the wedding."

Malfoy tensed, and then called her a foul name under his breath. Success!

* * *

They were at the strangest place Draco had ever seen. It was a restaurant, but they didn't order. Even stranger, he could tell this was one of Katherine's favorite places. She even gave him a tour.

"This is the dessert section." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I eat dessert first."

"Right…"

"Then we eat weird things." Her eyes slid to a couple behind them who was close to their age. She blushed when the boy kissed the girl. "Over here is the octopus! I've never been brave enough to try it! Well, I've only been here once. Ne-no one I like likes it here."

Longbottom didn't like it. Great. So far the only ways he knew how to get her to like him was to be sick or pretend to like this disgusting place. He flinched when the Muggles passed him. At least he didn't have to talk to any.

"General Tso's chicken is my favorite," she prattled on. "The point of buffets is to eat until you puke, but I just like eating the weird stuff like the rainbow ice cream and the shrimp that still have the eyes in them. You should try the octopus."

Couldn't he just buy her pearls or diamonds? From the expectant smile on her face, he could tell the octopus would make her ten times happier. Did Longbottom like it?

"Fine," he muttered, knowing he was going to regret it.

* * *

Malfoy was beyond uncomfortable. He picked at his food and hunched into himself whenever a Muggle walked by. Slowly, she reached over and grabbed his hand, running her thumb over it.

"I thought you were going to die the other week." Kat frowned when he didn't say anything, which only confirmed her suspicions. "Do you want… to try sleeping in the same room?"

His face hardened at her pity, making Kat feel terrible. In defense, he tried to embarrass her. "I don't want children while in school."

"Well the quadruplets wouldn't come out until we're done," she joked, even though she knew she was nearly purple. "Besides. It took my parents two years and yours what? Ten?"

"Eight," Malfoy corrected as if that mattered. From the War and general in fertility, the Ministry was thinking of passing a bill that would pay families who had children a yearly stipend. "We aren't forty, Katherine. It can wait."

Kat rolled her eyes. "And I wasn't talking about sex anyway. Just… sleeping."

Malfoy pushed the little octopus around his plate. How long did he have to live? She wanted to ask almost desperately. As horrible as it sounded, she felt like she had to cram a lifetime of things into Malfoy's short window of time. Marriage, sex, an heir. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

But Malfoy wanted to this, no matter how uncomfortable it was. "I could sleep on the chair."

"The bed's big enough." Why was she rushing this? Kat moved her clammy, sweaty hand away from his. What was she doing?!

Malfoy blushed. "Al-alright…"

* * *

She pitied him. Draco tried to focus on that when they flooed back to Hogwarts. She slipped unbearably close to him. He never thought he'd have to worry about having octopus breath.

Her lips brushed against his. She pitied him. She leaned even closer. With her Muggle shirt, he could see her breasts, which were pressed against his chest. She pitied him. Draco closed his eyes.

"Is that your wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Katherine teased. He felt his face flush, causing her to tense. "Wait. That isn't your wand?!"

"Shut up!" Of course she had him against the wall, where he couldn't escape. He had to think of something else besides her pitying him, like his mother in her knickers.

Katherine threw herself off as if he was going to explode. Not the best choice of words… Draco opened his eyes to see her covering her own. "I thought it was especially funny since it was actually your wand!"

"Since when are wands…? Never mind Potter." He started to leave until she grabbed his arm. "What?"

"It happens to the best of us," she said awkwardly, eyes on the ceiling.

"Even you?" he asked dryly.

"Yes." She cracked a smile. "Mine's bigger."

"I'm sure," he drawled, remembering when they were kids, and he would call her a boy. Longbottom punched him in the face over it in third year.

"Stay," she said shyly. Katherine wasn't shy. It lasted all of two seconds. "Just don't whip out your wand in the middle of the night and start waxing it."

"I hate you."

"I'm hiding the lotion."

He was married to a boar.

* * *

Hermione couldn't believe it. No. As a matter of fact, she could. Kat had already fallen for Malfoy's tricks and thought she was in love with him. Less than a month and she was already brainwashed.

It was sick. They whispered to each other in class, and Malfoy hugged her after a particularly hard Transfiguration test. He forced her to marry him and now acted like he could comfort her.

He isolated her from her friends. Hermione saw that she wasn't talking to Ginny right now either. Ron hated Malfoy. Everyone hated Malfoy and kept their distance. And Kat chose him over all her friends.

Hermione planned to wait until after she graduated when she could try to get a job as a secretary in the Ministry, but she had to find allies now. She had to make people see that arranged marriages were wrong. So they would be made illegal.

* * *

Ginny didn't know what to do. Daphne didn't seem to care and went through with the courting anyway. In fact, she thought it was more convenient because it would give them an excuse to spend more time together. Even live together.

Percy was the only one of her brothers who she would be afraid to confide in. Daphne was her usual rude self around him, but he didn't care. He saw wealth, status, and physical beauty with her. He wasn't marrying the real her, only what she could give him.

Prim and proper Percy. The thought of him and Daphne having sex made her sick. And Percy would say she and Daphne were sick if she told him. She just knew it.

"I can't live like that," Ginny told Sirius. The man was pale and hid his shaking hands under his desk. Walburga had sent him to St. Mungo's when he was sixteen, after catching him with Remus.

"You have to." Sirius glanced at the picture of Remus, Teddy, and Tonks on his desk. "It isn't so bad. I see Teddy as my own."

"Percy isn't like Tonks," she hissed. "And you might be able to stand it, but I can't! I love her too much!"

Sirius clenched his jaw at her insinuation, that he didn't love Remus enough. "Oh? It's the way things are, Gin. I'll pay for the two of you to live in the Muggle world, but that's all I can do. You know I don't like to talk about this."

Rumor had it that Sirius was on a potion until Walburga died, a potion that he was still supposed to be on. It stripped him of his desires. He almost never showed his face in public but freaked when his place at the Wizgamont was threatened. Out of fear of being put away again, he tried to squash the rumors about him and Remus by arranging a marriage between him and Tonks. But it was a temporary fix, since Sirius, the one who was in trouble, wasn't married himself.

"If I get married, Daphne won't have to." Ginny paused, letting the idea sink in. "And St. Mungo's won't send you that bloody potion anymore."

Sirius leaned away, repulsed by the idea. "No."

"We won't do anything," Ginny pressed. "It'll be a marriage in name only. Then, we'll get to do anything we want. And since we'll tell everyone we want an heir, St. Mungo's won't send you the potion—"

"You're sixteen," Sirius snapped. His eyes became distant, and Ginny soon realized he was quoting the healers from his time in St. Mungo's. "You're just confused… Sick."

"That's shit and you know it!" Ginny yelled loudly, hoping to bring him back to reality. "Look, Hermione's going to become Ministry of Magic one day and make everything better—"

"That will never happen!" Sirius hissed. "Things will never change, Ginny! Get that through your thick skull!"

"Then marry me!" Ginny shot back. "So we don't have to be afraid anymore! Our lives would be so much easier!"

Sirius rose from his seat and started pacing, shaking like a leaf as he did so. She had preyed on his biggest fears and felt dirty for it. But honestly, she was speaking the truth. He didn't want to get forced into marrying someone like Kat did. He was the last Black left. It was only a matter of time before a pureblood family proposed courting, and he panicked and became too afraid to say no.

He swallowed and bent over, trying not to throw up. This was how she felt for the past few weeks, seeing Percy laugh at Daphne's insults, pretending they were jokes, seeing Mum's eyes light up when he introduced her to the family. She never thought she would be jealous of Percy, or scream in her head that she should be in his place.

"What's your mother going to say?" Sirius asked weakly. In that moment, Ginny knew she had him. "She knows. Everyone knows."

"And she believes in that cure bullshit like every other normal person out there," Ginny said bitterly. No one understood that chemicals couldn't stop one from loving another. "She'll be surprised, but if I tell her I love you, she'll get all soft eyed and already start knitting tiny Weasley sweaters."

"I can't…" He gestured to her. "Sleep with you," he tried.

Some things would never change. "That's the point," she said dryly. Sirius almost smiled at her tone suggesting he was stupid. "Plenty of people are infertile. No one will be suspicious."

Sirius glanced at the closet, where he stored his undrunk potions. Mr. Potter paid someone off at St. Mungo's, so they were tipped off when someone was going to test his blood, and he had to start taking them again. Mrs. Potter had to make him a potion to stop him from growing breasts.

"Convince your parents and I'll draw up a contract," he said quietly, sounding defeated.

Was it wrong to feel triumphant? Ginny almost laughed to herself at the thought of her telling her parents. Sirius and her? Now that was a true match made in hell.

 **Anyone mad at me about the last scene? ;) Male homosexuality was illegal in England until 1967, and in the US, homosexuality was considered a mental illness until 1973. The potion part was inspired by an episode of** _ **Call the Midwife**_ **in season four episode 3 where a man was forced to take estrogen or go to jail.**

 **Next up, Hermione challenges arranged marriage, Kat freaks out and takes the test with Lucius, and James reacts to the new marriage contract. I'm thinking of adding a Pansy scene too. Any ideas?**

 **Thanks for reviewing** **mizzrazz72, Ern Estine 13624, Vi38, Nataly SkyPot, amata0221, and Nastassia!**

 **Nastassia: Thanks! I was thinking of moving up the rating anyway. I curse too much. :P**

 **mizzrazz72: I just read your review again! Percy wants to marry Daphne, not Ginny!**

 **Anyone know what's wrong with Draco yet? I thought someone would've spoiled it by now! ;)**


	7. What Will People Think?

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 7 What Will People Think?

She's gone to bed sad, angry, happy, and loads of other things, but Kat couldn't say until last night that she had gone to be feeling awkward. Half the night was spent with her and Malfoy pretending to be asleep. Her eyes weren't fully closed until she heard his breathing slow, but Kat wasn't sure if that was a trick either.

All she knew was that she, in her sleep, subconsciously made things worse, and of course, Malfoy had to wake up first. Kat felt his entire body go rigid with horror, but only hugged her pillow closer to her chest. Since when was her pillow so bony?

Still half asleep, Kat peeled up her eyes to see a white blonde fuzzy thing just inches away from her face. Oh no…

Kat tried to throw herself away only to realize that her legs were treacherously wrapped around Malfoy's waist. Her other half was on top of him. Great. Just fucking great.

When she finally managed to scramble away, Malfoy handed her her glasses. The git. "Uh…"

"Shut up!" Kat snapped as she clumsily pushed her glasses on her face. Like she wanted to see this. Suddenly, she felt the need to cover herself with the blanket. "I-I… I'm just used to cuddling with my dogs is all."

"Oh? Do you hump your dogs in your sleep too?" Malfoy smirked as she felt like her face was on fire. "It was a joke. Don't dish out what you can't take, Potter. You were all too happy to taunt me over my physiological response last night."

Physiological… Yes, that was all that it was. "You're warm," Kat said stiffly. "It's nearly fall. I just gravitated towards the warmth."

"What are you, a cat?" Malfoy asked, rolling his eyes when she stared at him blankly. "Look, Katherine, I know I shouldn't have let my parents skip over courtship and that we should've done everything right… But, ah…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Just because they rushed things doesn't mean we have to."

"Okay…" Kat chewed on her lip as he awkwardly got up and started getting ready for the day. Who wore a tie on a Sunday? "So, er, what about tonight?"

"What about it? We have school tomorrow, so that means homework today." Malfoy kept his back to her and fast walked to the bathroom. "Are you even trying to keep up your grades this year?"

No. Way to avoid the subject… Kat drew the fluffy blanket up to her chin. The real question was did _she_ want to share a bed with Malfoy tonight?

* * *

Dad knew. Ginny could just tell. Well, it was pretty obvious. Ginny asked to have breakfast at the Burrow. Just Mum, Dad, Ginny, and Sirius. Dad had the look of an executioner on his face.

Mum was simply confused. Ever the mother, she started fussing over Sirius as she poured him some tea. "Is everything alright, deary? You're getting thin again."

"Tonks tripped over Pippy, the elf that cooks," Sirius joked. "No, Molly. I don't need extra biscuits…"

"What do you want?" Dad had every right to be mad, Ginny supposed. She was sixteen. Sirius was thirty eight. Plus the rumors about Sirius and Remus…

Sirius swallowed nervously and had to put his teacup down because his hands were shaking so badly. "Ginny… and I…"

"I have been in love with Sirius since before I knew what love was," Ginny lied so smoothly that one might as well call her a Slytherin. "And now… Sirius is finally open to that love. He is reluctant, obviously, but he wants you to know about this. He wants to do it right."

Mum and Dad looked at each other. Dad started to turn red with rage until Mum put her hand over his. She smiled nervously. "You are too young, Ginny. The answer is no."

"You knew the moment you met Dad," Ginny countered. "I'm in love, and I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of that."

Dad's usually warm eyes rested coldly on Sirius. "You are depraved. Even—especially if this isn't some scam you've tricked Ginny into—I-I won't allow it!"

"How is he taking advantage of me if this was my proposal?" Ginny nearly shouted. "Being with Sirius… It makes me feel safe. Why should his age—"

"You don't know what else he's done." Dad never took his eyes off Sirius. In that moment, Ginny knew that she couldn't give up. "Things that are against our laws—"

"And he's paid the price a thousand times over!" Ginny yelled as she tried to ignore the stinging in her eyes. Would Dad be saying this if he knew the truth? "Why punish him for something he's already being punished for? And yes, I know what he did!" she snapped when her mother tensed. "Everyone knows! It was over twenty years ago. And Mr. Potter has always said that we're different from the Dark because we believe in love and kindness… and forgiveness. From the looks of things, we aren't that different from _them_!"

Mum and Dad shared _the look_ again. Sirius rose from his seat to flee but stopped when Ginny grabbed his arm and squeezed. She wasn't going to let him be afraid anymore.

"Ginny…" Mum sighed, thinking she didn't understand. Oh she understood alright. "You're father and I will need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." Throughout the entire conversation, Dad was glaring at Sirius. Now, his eyes were on Ginny, making her shiver. "You will be miserable for the rest of your life."

No, she won't. Ginny believed in Hermione with every fiber of her being. This was only temporary protection. But by the time Hermione became Minister, Daphne and Percy could have a family of their own, a family that Daphne might be reluctant to break up. "I'll be miserable without this."

Dad shook his head. "This isn't right. _He_ isn't right."

"You're wrong." There was nothing wrong with Sirius, and there was nothing wrong with her. Ginny would never let anyone tell her otherwise. "He's human, Dad. Just like me."

Mum frowned. Then, her confused eyes suddenly cleared. Ginny gulped and glanced at the fireplace. She could be at Hogwarts in less than a minute. A sweaty, trembling hand brushed over hers, which were twisting and tearing at the pink doily that she knew Mum spent hours making by hand. Grey eyes looked into hers almost desperately, begging her to use the bravery that he had long since had beaten out of him.

"Well…" Mum glanced at Dad, who was still furious. "If you love him…" She paused. "If you think this is right…"

"I will not allow it!" Dad thundered. "He is using her, Molly! I will not have it!"

 _ **I'm**_ _using him,_ Ginny thought, _and Mum knows it._ Worse, Dad thought something was wrong with Sirius, even though she was just like her. This was a mistake.

"We should talk about this Arthur," Mum whispered.

"THERE'S NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!" Dad grabbed Sirius by his robes. "You've never been one to care about what people think. Why now? WHY?"

"I care about Ginny," was all Sirius was brave enough to say. Dad stared. "I-It's what she wants…"

"You swore." Ginny swiped her sleeve over her eyes before anyone could see her frustrated, fearful tears tumbling out. "You swore to me at Kat's wedding that you would _never_ force me into a life that I didn't want. I don't want to watch the love of my life be forced into the arms of another!"

Ginny had done most of the talking, but somehow, Dad had gotten into his head that Sirius had brainwashed her and threw the other man back onto the couch. "I am going to Hogwarts. If you go anywhere near Ginny while she's at school, I'll have you arrested."

Mum's eyes filled with tears as the floo roared to life. Once he was gone, she said quietly, "I'll find a way to tell him the truth."

With a pathetic cry, she ran upstairs in her room to grieve the life her daughter could have had. Ginny wondered what else she was thinking. Was she angry? At who?

"You're mother loves you," Sirius said hoarsely. "And your father. You're very lucky, Ginny."

Ginny didn't believe him.

* * *

 _She's lost her sense of self. Or did she ever have it, considering how society treats women?_ Those were the words that stuck with Kat the most. Malfoy was scratching at his Dark Mark, so she knew what words were sticking to him like glue.

Hermione didn't blame Mum. Of course she wouldn't. Mum's mistakes were always noble, never just plain stupid. Stupid mistakes were Kat's specialty.

"I didn't tell her to write this." They were sitting at the tiny table in their suite. It was by the window and meant for when they wanted to have a small meal together. _The Daily Prophet_ was spread over the table instead of food.

"You aren't property." The skin around Malfoy's arm was turning red with the scratching. "I never… saw you as that. You were different. You…"

 _You forced me to marry you,_ Kat thought. But it wasn't Malfoy that she was thinking about, even though the entire article was about him, the coldhearted Death Eater who stole her like cattle and was isolating her from her family. "Ginny's not talking to me because… Because I snuck out with her. Before the wedding. Rita Skeeter was supposed to find me snogging some random bloke at a club, and your dad would be so embarrassed that he'd tear up the contract. I chickened out, and she's mad at me for that. Hermione doesn't know because I already wasn't talking to her."

"I'm not keeping you from your friends." Malfoy leaned away when she tried to pull his hand away from his Dark Mark. "Everyone—Even though I have the Mark… People are going to think I'm raping you."

Hermione wanted to go into politics. Malfoy didn't know that. He didn't know that this embellished story was her ticket in. Worse, Kat was sure that Hermione thought that what she wrote was true.

"Stop doing that." Kat winced when she saw little droplets of blood welling up around the Mark. "Christ, Malfoy! Stop it! DRACO!"

Draco froze and then pulled away. "Sorry."

Kat shrugged. From being dirty in the Malfoy Dungeons for so long, Luna compulsively washed her hands. The dry skin often cracked and bled. As cold as it sounded, she couldn't bear to look at stuff like that. "Welp, this is proof that Hermione thinks I have no ambitions, no thoughts of my own. I can—Just because I'm not desperate to change things like her and Ginny doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows and pointed at the newspaper. "There is nothing in here insinuating that you're stupid. You have a complex about you're intelligence."

"You have a complex about being a Death Eater!"

"Because I was one."

 _"She's never aspired to be anything but Neville Longbottom's partner. Kat never thought of_ _ **not**_ _belonging to someone,"_ Kat read. _"A society that allows arranged marriage limits women."_

"That's bullshit!" Draco snapped. "Look at your mother! Look at McGonagall!"

"I am not limited!" But she had never thought about life after the War, not career wise anyway. There was only Neville and fun and… nothing. "People are going to think I'm some stupid, easily manipulated—"

"You are not stupid, Katherine!" Draco yelled. "I think the entrance exam you took for me was proof enough!"

Kat blinked, causing Malfoy to swear under his breath. She had done well on that, didn't she? She was never going to be called stupid again.

* * *

Lucius was waiting for Potter to crumble under the pressure and admit to cheating but no. She simply took out her quill and set to work upon meeting him in his office the following Saturday. This was a knee-jerk response to the damned article from earlier this week.

The death threats and howlers were still coming in. Lucius wanted more than anything to sue that whore Skeeter for allowing Granger to publish it. However, her words weren't exactly lies. They simply put their way life was in a negative light. Women were meant to take care of their families. What, exactly, was wrong with that?

"I'm not avoiding anything." She could add large sums in her head and talk at the same time. Lucius glanced at the answer key and then leaned over to see what she wrote. Damn. "But I'm tired of people thinking I'm stupid."

"You mean _you're_ tired of thinking you're stupid," Lucius corrected. "How sad it must be to think so little of yourself."

"I don't…" She couldn't even lie about it. Katherine looked down and continued with her test in silence for a few minutes. "Hermione's wrong."

"And you're here to prove it." Lucius folded his hands and watched Katherine add, subtract, multiply, and divide faster than he had ever seen anyone do. "I will not have a mere girl head my company. I don't care how _not stupid_ you are, Katherine."

The brat had a trick up her sleeves, and it was rather cunning, considering she was a Gryffindor. "No one is going to want to do business with you now. Hermione wrote all about how you trapped me."

"You mean how Lily Potter trapped you." People were quick to forget about that. Lily had started all of this. Lucius had simply taken advantage of what she offered. "She came to Narcissa, not the other way around. And I had nothing to do with it until this summer."

Katherine finally looked away from the bloody entrance exam. What he said was the truth, and she knew it, Lucius realized. Her own mother used her as a bargaining chip. "She was afraid for my life."

"Of course she was." Gryffindors tended to see only bad or good. There was no in between. "But does that make it right?"

* * *

Yet another perfect score. Lucius rubbed at his temples. The Ministry was in uproar because Granger shed a harsh light on reality. She stated nothing new. The War was over, but Death Eaters stole the hero's love away. That was what made people so angry. If she simply stated the facts, the story wouldn't even have made it to the front page of the paper.

Several, no _all_ , of his clients threatened to leave after the story was published… until he told them that Katherine was going to become his apprentice after she completed her education. Lucius never thought he would become so desperate to support his family.

* * *

Mid-October. Draco had the flu, on top of his curse. It was cruel, but he still couldn't handle the thought of Katherine knowing.

"I'm going to be fine," he wheezed. Mother was due to be over any moment. Katherine didn't say anything as she ran her fingers through his sweaty hair. "Really. Don't look at me like that."

"How do you know?" she whispered, trying to hide the fact that she was crying. Draco closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He heard Katherine blow her nose and felt terrible.

"…" He almost apologized, almost told her the truth. Katherine opened her drawer in the small table by their bed and took out a tiny snuff box. If she started chewing tobacco, he was going to hurl. Draco opened his eyes fully when she turned slightly and put the box closer to her nose. She inhaled, and Draco snapped his eyes shut before she could see him. What the hell was she doing?

"I can help!" Katherine was rather chipper when Mother arrived. Father never acknowledged him when he was ill. "Really. I can help!"

Mother sneered at her, adopting the role of resentful mother-in-law so she wouldn't be suspicious. "I don't need your help. I'm taking Draco to our family healer. Will you wait here this time? Or will you run off to all your adoring fans who are so eager to save you?"

"Oh!" Katherine waved Mother off as if she were being silly. "I didn't ask Hermione to write that! She's mad at me that's all."

"Wonderful." Mother ignored Katherine as she bounced around while Draco was being helped out of bed. She didn't see Katherine's face fall and certainly didn't her reach into her drawer and swallow something. Draco was too weak to say anything.

* * *

"Have you seen, Katherine?" Draco asked the next morning after Mother shoved a pain potion down throat. "Something wasn't right about her."

"You're scaring her." Pansy was sitting at the edge of his bed, clear headed for once. Mother said she had been taking her potions lately. "That article was good, get people talking good, but didn't really capture the bint. She's rash and does things without thinking, but that doesn't mean she _can't_ think."

"Draco will tell her as soon as they're expecting," Mother said lightly. She thought marriage and a family would make him stop hating himself. "She won't mind so much—"

"When she has demon spawn growing under her heart." Pansy grinned at Mother's angry, horrified expression. "Get over yourself, Draco. She may worship Longbottom, but you've been making her knickers wet since sixth year."

"I'm talking to _your_ healer!" Mother snapped before stomping out.

"Anyway…" Pansy knew how to drive anyone mad. "Now that she's gone, why are you hiding this? The Potters have never—"

"She'll use it as an excuse." Draco sighed. Yes, she still worshipped Longbottom. They refused to look at each other, not because they had broken things off, but because they were still very much in love. "To dump me and run off with him. You didn't need Mother gone to ask me that."

"I've been spending time with Lily," Pansy confessed. "Painting more."

"So?"

"So…" Pansy picked at his comforter, trying in vain to find a loose thread. "What if I were to sell my paintings? They're getting quiet good."

Draco shrugged. There was nothing wrong with her having something to do. Mother thought planning the Christmas ball would be too stressful for her. "I don't see a problem with it."

"In our world…" Pansy took a deep breath. "Women don't generally have a-a calling, I suppose, unless they're unable to get married."

Oh. With the way the summer went, Draco figured Pansy would not only never marry but would never be lucid enough to realize it. Still, he couldn't tell her that, even if her clear days were only part of an exhausting cycle. "Times are changing, according to the papers."

"I never thought I would be rooting for Granger." Pansy's eyes glazed over, making Draco wonder if he was making her consider stopping her potions again. "I have to go feed my pygmy puff."

* * *

"KATHERINE!"

They found her twitching in her own vomit nearly an hour later. How long had she been laying like that?

* * *

Kat woke up in the Hospital Wing. Fear drove people mad. Dumbledore used to say stuff like that. Dad was sleeping in a chair by her bed, making Kat feel horrible, and Malfoy was pretending to sleep in the bed to her right. She thought that this was it, that he was going to die last night. She didn't want to be afraid anymore.

Mum was whispering to Madam Pomfrey on the other side of the Hospital Wing. Hermione was the only one who was looking at her.

"You're going to say this is my fault." Her face was red with the effort not to cry. "I want you to be free, Kat. I want everyone to be free to live their lives as they please without hurting anyone."

"Among other things." Kat's throat ached with whatever they used to pump her stomach. "Admit it Hermione. That wasn't the only reason."

"You blame everything on me!" Hermione screamed, causing Dad to wake up with a start. "From the moment I came to live with you, you made sure I knew I wasn't your sister! I lost my parents and you reminded me of that every day!"

"Hermione," Dad tried, but the floodgates were already open.

"Because I was never a Potter!" Hermione sobbed. "And when I finally start to feel like your sister, your real sister, you marry _him._ The boy who called me a mudblood, the boy who reminded me that my mother and father were dead! He calls me Granger, not Potter. Because Lily and James aren't my parents!"

"Yes they are." Immediately, like it was a reflex, Dad pulled her into a hug. "C'mon. We'll buy her a really long book and force her to read it."

Kat watched them walk away and wish they took Mum with her as she bustled over. She glanced over and saw Malfoy, face white, watching her with wide eyes.

"I am so sorry, Kat!" Mum bit her knuckles to hold in her own sob. "I—Why did you do this?"

Ah the million galleon question. Dad was going to give her an earful when he got back. Kat shrugged and tried to down play it. "It felt good."

Mum eased herself in Dad's chair to get a better view of her face. "Why did you do this?"

"It felt good," Kat repeated. She wasn't entirely lying. Not really. Getting high felt a lot better than thinking about Malfoy dying. If Mum could keep secrets, then she could too.

* * *

Draco gulped as he leaned against the door post and watched Potter destroy the room he shared with Katherine. Granger's… Hermione's words were still eating away at him. So that was why she wrote the article, tossing their private life into the political arena.

"You don't know her as well as you think," Potter growled. The pink piggy bank she kept by the fireplace was thrown against the wall. Two small clear bags with white powder were inside it. "For special occasions. I can't believe her."

"What is it?" Draco dared to ask. At least Mother was talking to Mrs. Potter and not demanding he go to bed. Every part of him ached.

"Muggle shit." He tossed the bags into the rubbish bin. "This is how she deals with being overwhelmed. Not anymore."

"This is my fault," Draco muttered. If he had just told her the truth…

"Oh no!" Potter lifted a loose floorboard and took out a bottle of wine. "Kat is seventeen years old. It's high time she takes responsibility for herself."

Draco nodded, even though he didn't entirely agree. "She scared me too."

The bottle of wine was still in his hand. Potter put it next to the rubbish been instead of in it. With a grunt, he flipped over their mattress. "You're coming with me tonight."

* * *

"You know why she does this." Potter chewed on his cigar. Black actually smoked his. Draco was doing his best to stay awake and keep his food down. The room was starting to spin. "If she so much as has a hangover, Lily coddles her as if she were back in nappies."

Black snorted. "Why's he here? He looked worse than the wife."

Potter drummed his fingers on the table. They were halfheartedly playing cards. Well, Draco dropped his cards nearly an hour ago. Black and Potter were complaining like old women. "Speaking of which, Arthur wanted me to know that you're a perverted predator and that he's ripping your intestines out at Christmas."

"Now who's the pervert," Black mumbled.

Potter laughed. "So why does Ginny want to do it? You're too paranoid to come up with something like this."

Black was quiet. Draco couldn't keep his eyes open, so it took him a while to realize that he was staring at him, worrying about what he'll think. "She's in love."

Potter laid down his cards. "Ah." And like that, he dropped the subject. "You know, I thought I'd have to get him drunk before we could screw around with him."

Draco fell asleep before he could stop them.

* * *

James charmed the words _Padfoot_ and _Prongs_ on Malfoy's lips to look like a demented mustache. It would take nearly a week to come off. He had paint all over the rest of him. James wondered how long Malfoy would be scrubbing before he realized everything but the mustache was coming off. He whistled to himself as he started heading for Black Manor's floo. Tonks would help Malfoy get back to Hogwarts. She was nice like that, for some reason.

He stopped at Walburga's portrait. She wasn't snoring like she usually was in the morning. "Where's Draco? He looked ill."

She sounded worried. She never worried about Sirius when she sent him away. James felt his blood boil. "He was so young."

"Was?" Walburga thought he was still talking about Draco. When she realized it was about Sirius, she sneered at him. "Oh. Him. Well, he seems to have learned his lesson. I hear he's getting married. Finally."

"I'm sure you'll get an invite." James grabbed some floo powder. Maybe Hermione publishing that letter and getting people talking wasn't so bad after all. Who cared what people thought?

* * *

"What have you done?" Daphne yell whispered when she finally managed to corner Ginny in the library. "And why did I have to hear it from fucking Percy?"

"Well he is your fiancé," Ginny said coolly. "What did you expect, Daphne? For me to sit there and smile, knowing you would be sleeping with my brother? With fucking Percy?!"

Daphne pinned Ginny against the bookcase. "What will people think if you draw up a contract with Sirius, and I immediately dump Percy? I did this for us! It makes more sense! Your family doesn't have the prestige my family has—"

"Who cares what people think?" Ginny said loudly until Daphne shushed her. "I get that you're afraid of people talking about us, but I can't have you sleeping with my brother! Sirius and I won't be doing that! And once Hermione changes things—"

"In what?" Daphne asked bitterly. "Ten? Twenty years? Percy isn't twice my age. He doesn't have a history. You could've been a fucking live-in nanny or something! What am I going to do when you're living in Black Manor? Occasionally see you at parties?"

"You're willing to have children with him?" Her betrayed expression made Daphne sneer at her.

"He would be my husband," Daphne hissed. "You know why Percy is perfect? His head is too far up his arse to notice anything. Or care for that matter as long as he looks good at the Ministry. With Sirius, you'd be a laughing stock! You got jealous and did something that made no fucking sense!"

"It's not fair." Ginny suddenly felt like a child, a child who manipulated Sirius and still couldn't get the best of both worlds. "I wish we could just run away."

"This is our home!" Daphne yell whispered. "Where our family and friends are! Everything is here! We would be totally lost… Look at us when we sneak off! We go mad with all the freedom! We wouldn't last two days."

"So what?" Ginny tried to swallow the lump in her throat. As silly as it was, she asked the question she already knew the answer to. "You're going to stay with Percy."

She couldn't say it out loud. Slowly, as if it pained her, Daphne nodded. "I'm going to stay with you."

* * *

"What ever happened to 'go to your room'?" Kat asked. Dad completely wrecked the place! And then, if rumor were to be believed, got Malfoy roaring drunk and tattooed his upper lip. "Nice mustache by the way."

With a yawn, Malfoy flicked his wand and reassembled their bed before sinking into it. "He got rid of all your 'Muggle shit,' as he put it."

"I had a feeling." Kat stretched and smiled. "But he didn't check my drawer, did he?"

"Not until I told him to." When she tensed, Malfoy added cautiously, "He threw it out the window."

"… I thought something was missing." Kat didn't know what to say. She was waiting for Malfoy to blow up like Dad did. Maybe he was scared of what people would think if they heard him yelling and that the whispers in the halls would turn to full on confrontations. "I'm sorry."

"Are you… addicted?" Malfoy grimaced. "Like the people who drink pain potions… for fun."

Malfoy must live under a rock. A rock put firmly in place by his mummy. Kat tried to act indifferent and peeked out the window. "I can't see it. And no. Maybe. More like addicted to running away from my problems."

"I didn't know that Gra—Hermione felt that way."

"You knew; that's why you did it." She was one to talk. When did she slowly start to accept Hermione as her sister? Only when Malfoy started to pick on her. The sunlight from the window warmed her skin, making Kat close her eyes. "I guess we aren't as different as I thought."

"You sound tired." He was one to talk. With a sigh, Kat turned away from the window. In the past few days, he had managed to lose a significant amount weight and could barely keep his eyes open.

And she was tired. Sure, it was the overdose, but it was more than that. She was tired of blaming Hermione, Mum, everyone. They weren't the only reason that she felt this way. "Have you ever felt… like your life is empty?"

"No." But he pushed himself up by his elbows. Maybe he did know and couldn't bear to say it. Maybe it was something that you could only say it after nearly accidently killing yourself. "But I feel like my life has been a waste. Like I could be, should be, so much better."

Malfoy had good grades, self-control, and the ability that Kat had yet to master, the ability to see the consequences of his actions. Yes, he's made all the wrong choices, but something about him was different. There was something about him that made Kat feel like he was _better_ in some way, capable of learning from his mistakes. Or was that her way of focusing on him instead of herself?

"We've spent more time stuck here than not." Draco paused to cough and waved Kat off when she tried to figure out where their pitcher of water was smashed so she could fix it. "So… When I'm better, we can ditch the Halloween ball and… go to that disgusting place again."

"You mean in the Muggle world," Kat said slowly, not believing her ears, "where there's Muggles."

Draco tried to look pissed off, but she couldn't take him seriously with his Padfoot and Prongs mustache. "No. The Muggle world that doesn't have Muggles. Do you want to go or not, Katherine?"

Kat sighed dramatically and tried to act like she was doing him a favor, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Well, I mean, if you want. I guess I could find the time."

"You're dead to me." For the first time in a while, she was actually looking forward to Halloween.

* * *

Pansy smiled at herself in the mirror. She had just finished cutting her hair short, shorter than Potter's. Hers, however, wasn't a dried out, sloppy mess. The dark hair was sleek and stylish, making her feel like a model from a catalog advertisement. And her dress robes! They showed off her shoulders! Father wouldn't let her leave the house if the beginnings of her collar bone were showing. She felt… free.

Believe it or not, Draco not denying that she could never marry was one of the most wonderful things he had ever told her. She didn't have to worry about what people thought. She could be _her_.

Lately, she never went anywhere without Mrs. Malfoy. Lily offered to take her to a gallery, and Pansy almost felt guilty to have some of her work hanging up. Having people know how she felt…

But she didn't have to worry about that. There would be no catching a husband for her. Pansy laughed to herself, for once not feeling lonely at the thought. She could be something, like McGonagall or that cow Umbridge.

Her pygmy puff growled playfully and nipped at her finger as it bounced around her vanity table. Or could she have it all like Lily?

Pansy paused at her bathroom on the way to her floo. She had been feeling great lately. There was nothing wrong with her. She would know if she was crazy. Pansy walked over to the sink and dumped her potion down the drain. She didn't need it.

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, mizzrazz72, amata0221, Nataly SkyPot, Vi38, and gr8rockstarrox!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: I hope this chapter showed Hermione's POV! I'm thinking two chapters until Kat knows what's going on with Draco, but your reviews gave me some ideas for stuff HE doesn't even know about his curse.**

 **amata0221: They're going to kill each other. ;)**


	8. Crazy, Stupid, Love

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 8 Crazy, Stupid, Love

 _The demented laugh would always haunt Lily's dreams first. James and Sirius had to force Kat to apparate home and drag her into the house. Her wild eyes made the hair on Lily's back stand on end._

 _Pure white oozed out of Kat's mouth, but it didn't stop the insidious laughter. She couldn't stop, even as the incessant giggling brought her to her knees. "There she is!" Kat roared. "Mummy! Waiting on the sidelines as usual!"_

 _"She's been cursed!" James yelled over the laughter. As if he had to say it. It wasn't vomit coming out of Kat's mouth. Pure light magic was being forced out, leaving only room for the dark. The curse would kill her eventually, but not before leaving her worse off than Bellatrix._

 _The Black Soul Curse, invented by none other than an ancestor of Sirius's. Lily had only read about it. The counter curse might kill Kat faster than the curse itself, and Lily had never cast it. The actual incantation of the curse was thought to be forgotten. She should have known better._

 _"Whacha gonna do?" the delirious Kat taunted. "Watch me die or kill me?"_

 _When she leaned over and a river of magic continuously poured out of her mouth, Lily panicked and cast the counter curse without taking the time to think about doing it properly. The white turned to pink, think crimson red blood before Kat collapsed. James and Sirius dropped her in horror. Lily let out a silent scream as the red turned to black._

 _The shaky, shuddering breaths are what haunted Lily next. Kat didn't open her eyes for two weeks. She wasted away as Lily tried to spoon feed her broth, the only thing she could hold down. Her skin was white, lips blue in the morning when Lily let herself doze for an hour or two. James would wake her up screaming, and Lily would have to start her heart and lungs again._

 _Kat had opened her dull green eyes just when Lily was sure she had killed her. "M-mum?"_

 _It was the most beautiful sound in the world._

 _Nearly a month went by before Kat was strong enough to get about the house and joke that her summer sucked so far. Lily hardly left her side, getting angry when Kat said she had to fake a bowel movement to get a moment's peace._

 _"You nearly died!" Lily cried more than yelled. "Excuse me for wanting to make sure you're alright!"_

 _"Dad lets me sit in the garden alone." Kat rolled her eyes, and Lily knew she had a thousand more complaints on the tip of her tongue._

Dad didn't nearly kill you, _Lily thought. Kat was only fifteen, and she had nearly died. "I'm delaying your schooling until October. You still need time to recover."_

 _For once, Kat bristled at the thought of skipping school. "I feel fine!"_

 _"Because you haven't been using magic!" Lily said loudly. "You need time—"_

 _"You're smothering me!" Kat clenched her fists, trying her best not to start shouting. "Just because I'm a girl—"_

 _"Don't you start that!" Hermione's critiques of society only bothered Kat when she wanted something, like risking her life like a full grown auror, not a fifteen year old child. Kat had just started going out to fight, and she was already losing her daughter. "You know how many people survived that curse besides you? Two! And one of them went mad and flung himself off the watch tower—"_

 _"I get it!" Kat yelled. "But that doesn't mean I have to stop living just because I survived!"_

 _She stomped off, and Lily was so angry, that she sent a house elf to watch over her instead of watching her herself._

 _Two days. Two days before Kat was due to go back to school, and Lily awoke in the middle of the night to find her out of bed. James sent a Patronus to Sirius's, only to find out from Remus that they heard something about the Weasley house being on fire. The full moon was the next day, and Remus was in no condition to go. Neither was Kat._

 _"I'll go," James said firmly. "Why didn't Sirius tell me?"_

 _Because he didn't want Kat going. And who could be just as thoughtless as Kat? Ginny, whose house was under attack. Lily grabbed her wand. Kat's magic was still weak, and she was not going to sit around waiting again._

 _Killing. Lily couldn't take it anymore. The Death Eaters were evil, beyond saving, she tried to tell herself as she watched the life drain out of Corban Yaxley's eyes. How many did she kill before finding her way to Kat? Half a dozen? The thought made her feel inhuman._

 _Walden Macnair had her cornered. Kat had her wand to his chest, but it was her back that was against the wall. "Did that curse get your jollies off?" A trail of blood was flowing out of her nose. "I thought I saw a cloud of dust shoot out of your pants."_

 _Macnair grabbed her throat. "I'm going to stun you," he growled. "Make you watch will I kill that redheaded bitch."_

 _Kat grinned, thinking she could stun him first and tell him that he was going to get the Kiss at Azkaban._ "Stu—"

"Reducto!" _Lily couldn't risk her not being fast enough. Flecks of blood hit Kat in the face, causing her to jump slightly. She didn't even look sorry._

 _"I can't do it anymore," Lily sobbed to Albus a few weeks later. After what happened at the Burrow, she didn't let Kat go back to school until mid-November. "She's already spying on Malfoy. She won't s-st-stop!"_

 _"Actually…" Albus sighed. Once Voldemort returned, both sides started slaughtering each other. Before, there had only occasionally been an incident with the rogue Death Eaters. Not even once a year. Now, something was happening almost every day. "I have a feeling the Malfoys are growing weary as well."_

 _"Not from Kat's reporting," Lily said bitterly. "She's following him. Her magic is still touchy, and she's following Draco. She thinks he's taken the Mark!"_

 _"He has." His words made Lily feel cold. Cold enough to drag Kat out of school and never let her leave the house again. "But, you know the Mark doesn't make one a Death Eater, Lily."_

 _He was referring to Severus. They never spoke. Not even when they were in the same room. Lily knew that he had learned, that his heart had changed for the good, but she couldn't even bare to look at him, no matter how desperately she wanted to._

 _"He's going to hurt her," Lily whispered. Severus may not have wanted to, but he still hurt her, a hurt that she couldn't let go of._

 _"Narcissa wants out." Albus was hesitant, telling Lily that something big was going to happen. "But she's worried about the price of doing what is right."_

 _Lily didn't say anything. This war had to end, and the price of it was going to be big. But she would do anything to keep Kat safe._

Lily woke up with a start. James, almost instinctively, woke up and put his hand on her arm. "It's okay, Lily," he mumbled sleepily. "It was just a dream."

That's the thing. It wasn't a dream. It had really happened.

* * *

"Muggles get dressed up _all_ the time on Halloween." Katherine was bent over the mirror messing with her Muggle paint called make up. Did witches use it? Come to think of it, Draco wasn't sure…

Anyway, it was supposed to be for her eyes, but when she turned around, she had it on her nose and cheeks, giving her whiskers and a cat nose. She pointed at him with the black pen. "Come here!"

The mustache from her demented father took him nearly two weeks to charm off! "Come near me with that thing, and I'll hex you."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease," she begged, which only earned her a glare. "We can be cats instead of Malfoys!"

"First of all, you kept your last name." Draco rolled his eyes when she put her hands on her hips to show her impatience. "Second of all, you're lucky I'm choking down Muggle food instead of going to the ball at the Manor. Do you know what I had to tell my mother? I'll give you a hint. She's buying tiny night gowns."

She wrinkled her nose cutely. "Gross." Lovely. She always knew how to make him feel good about himself. "You told your mum we were fucking tonight? I just told my parents I had diarrhea."

Merlin she was disgusting. "That wouldn't have been a good enough excuse for her." Draco frowned when she took out a pair of leather trousers. "I'm not wearing that."

"Of course not!" She grinned. "I am."

* * *

They didn't apparate to the same Muggle establishment. To Draco's surprise, they arrived at a restaurant that was similar to the ones he and his parents used to frequent. He didn't know Muggles had good taste.

"I even made a reservation," she said proudly. Maybe her efforts weren't just out of pity. She was really trying.

* * *

"What kind of a restaurant has a dress code?" Katherine barked at the host as soon as she was told she couldn't enter dressed as an animal. He himself was dressed like a normal person, in a suit. She was wearing tight clothes, a cat eared headband, and the ridiculous makeup to go along with the tail she charms in the mild of her ass.

"One that has class," Draco drawled, hoping she didn't notice he was looking at her… tail. The host's lips twitched with the effort not to smile.

Ah class, something that Katherine would never have. "It's fucking Halloween! You know how long it took me to squeeze my arse into my sister's pants?! I don't think I'm going to be able to get out of them!"

Merlin… He should've known and tried to get on her good side by saying he wanted to go to the retched buffet place instead. Thankfully, this was a Muggle establishment, and they wouldn't see anyone they knew.

"I'm sorry." The host didn't sound sorry at all. Draco wouldn't either. "But you cannot enter the establishment without proper attire."

Because she was a brute, Katherine made to charge at the man, but Draco grabbed her arm and started pulling her away. "We'll be back. She has a dress in… The machine—I-I mean vehicle."

"I am not giving in!" Katherine snapped, even though Draco was fully prepared to apparate to Hogmeade. "We are eating in that dump, and we are eating as cats! It's Halloween!"

It was like dealing with a toddler. "Why did you make this reservation?" he asked tiredly.

Her expression told him that she thought he was stupid. "Because you like snooty stuff like this!"

"Well, I don't like being embarrassed," he said dryly. "You look ridiculous."

And of course she had to look hurt. She was dressed as an animal! She even filed her nails to look like claws! "Well sorry we can't all have tiny asses like Hermione. Maybe you _should_ have married her instead."

"What?" He was married to a lunatic. "What do cat ears and leather have to do with…" Oh. This was her attempt to look attractive… as an animal… "Erhm…"

She folded her arms over her chest and looked away. "Muggles do it."

"Well…" He didn't even know what to say. She tried to surprise him with a restaurant that had food that wouldn't make him cringe while eating it and dressed up in a certain way _for_ him. "You look… nice?"

"Thanks." She was pouting. This was the opportunity to sweep her off her feet. Say something suave and then kiss her like any Malfoy would do. The truth was that he wouldn't look below her neck without getting flustered because of what she was wearing. He couldn't figure out how to say that without looking like a complete and utter fool.

"Do you want to… go home?" So he could find a rock to crawl under. Unfortunately, or fortunately?, Katherine took that as an invitation and got a little flustered herself. "I mean—"

"I could always make another reservation." Now she couldn't look at him, but she was also a little excited, judging by the small smile on her face. "Let's go."

* * *

"This is a lot better than that stuffy place, isn't it?" Katherine said breathlessly as she climbed on top of him. He was sitting on their bed, trying to remain calm as she straddled him and ran her fingers over his belt. Perhaps he was too caught up in the moment, but he didn't realize that she was unbuttoning his shirt until it was almost too late.

"Stop." He gulped when she froze and the lust in her eyes didn't fade. "Leave it on."

Katherine was never one to take anything seriously. He should've shut this down. "Why? Are you secretly fat?" she joked. "I want to see your pouch!" Her hand slid up his shirt and immediately stopped at the bandage. "Did you hurt… have you kept this wound open the whole time?! It's been over a year—"

"It won't heal." He turned away as best he could with her still on top of him. "Get off."

Katherine slid off, and her lip quivered. But then, she toughened up and started heading for the floo, marching like a soldier heading off to battle. "I'm going to get Mum."

Lily Potter, the healer who would take one look at him and know exactly what was wrong. "NO!" Katherine stopped with her hand in the floo powder. "It doesn't hurt," he lied. The constant dull ache was easy to ignore as long as he didn't get it wet. "I have my own healer. Don't worry about it."

After taking a deep breath and wiping the floo dust on her shirt, Katherine turned around, clearly not believing him. She tried to hide her concern with disgust. "Are you hurting yourself?"

Not anymore. He simply couldn't stand having to look at a scar like the one he would've had for the rest of his life. In fact, he was so devastated at the time that he would have rather died than have to look at it. He had no idea that he merely made things worse for himself. "No. It doesn't bleed. It just won't heal."

"Why?" She was being demanding. Draco knew he could've used this moment to get closer to her. All he had to do was tell the truth. She wasn't one to judge, to try to hide her disgust for him like Father did. And he knew she wouldn't run off because of that, even though legally, she could. But it would be her opportunity to run off with Longbottom…

This was his chance to show her what she meant to him. But it wasn't that he thought she would hate him for it. He hated himself so much that he couldn't let her see that part of him. "It's none of your business."

"I'm your wife." For the first time, she sounded serious when she said she was his. And she didn't sound resentful either. Ticked off and worried, yes, but not resentful.

Draco couldn't do it. Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't she accept that he loved her and give him a chance?

Because he trapped her. Her mother was terrified and desperate, and his family took advantage of it. Whatever feelings she did have for him must have been diminished by their marriage. She hadn't exactly tried her hardest to get him to rip up the contract. Hell, he threw a chance in her lap, and she didn't take it. But now, now that he actually went through with it and was still pushing her away, Draco didn't know if she could ever love him. He desperately wanted her to, but he still couldn't give her that final piece of him.

He hardened. He couldn't help it. As much as he desperately wanted it, letting her in was too hard. "And I said it's none of your concern."

Her jaw clenched. "I'm trying."

"You pity me." What was he saying? Who was he kidding? The truth. "That's why you did what you did the last time I was sick. You felt bad and taking drugs made that feeling go away."

"So what?" she yelled. "You won't talk to me because I feel bad that you're sick? Well I really can't win then, can I? Because if I acted like I didn't give a damn, I'd be a cold hearted bitch! Is that what you'd prefer? You know what? Screw you!"

* * *

 _Gryffindorks stick together._ That was something Pansy would've said, except for the fact that she was unwell again. Draco sighed as he watched Katherine make up with Ginevra. Since the apology clearly included how much of a prat he was, Ginevra welcomed her back with open arms.

"In the dog house already." Blaise thought this was funny. Did he mention he hated Blaise? "That's what you get for rushing a marriage without needing to."

"Yes, yes. I get it, Blaise." Draco rolled his eyes. "You're so much cleverer, blah, blah, blah."

Blaise smirked and looked at the ceiling, watching his eagle owl soar towards them. "Ten galleons says that's your mum."

Draco groaned. Of course it was Mother. His lie from last night was just about to blow up in his face. In her mind, they were madly in love and already trying to start a family.

Katherine got a letter too. Ginevra started laughing as they read it together while chomping on bacon. Mother was arranging dinner with the family, including her parents.

* * *

On Friday night, Kat was halfheartedly doing homework in the library. That was how low she felt. Yeah, a lot of the nice things she did for Malfoy was because he was sick, but that didn't mean she didn't care. In fact, it meant she did. He made it seem like her feelings weren't genuine because they were based on pity.

But was he wrong? Kat didn't know. If they weren't married, and she somehow found out on her own, she would say yes. He was one hundred percent wrong. But she found out because she was forced to be with him. His bought wife who was expected to sit on the sidelines, smile and love him without completely knowing him.

Kat ground her teeth. Fuck homework. She didn't need her grades. From Dad's letter, Mrs. Malfoy was excited to have her stuck in the Manor, popping out babies like a machine gun.

"You only smile like that when you think of something even you find disgusting." Neville was grinning when she jumped out of her skin and spun around. He held up his hands in defense. "I don't even want to know."

"Malfoy still won't tell me." Kat huffed when Neville raised his eyebrows. "About what's wrong with him! I'm his wife!"

"Does it matter?" Neville asked, searching her face as he waited for her answer. Yes! It most certainly did! Part of being his wife was… He smiled sadly when she saw what he was really asking. She was genuinely worried about her husband. "So wouldn't you rather he tell you than trying to figure it out yourself through books?"

"I was doing homework." That was not hard to believe! Neville chuckled at the thought, making Kat glare at him. So what if she had never done homework on a Friday in the history of ever? "No really, I was."

But she was heading for the section of the library on curses. Bill was actually writing a textbook of his own right now. Maybe she should ask him…

"Remember when we saw him digging into his wound last year?" Kat bit her lip when Neville looked away. "Well it never healed. And he said he didn't keep it open. It just never healed."

"And you're sure he hasn't?" Neville didn't trust Draco, for obvious reasons. For some reason, Kat did. Now, after the other night, she wasn't sure if she should. "You saw him that night, Kat. As much as I hate to admit it, the War took its toll on them too. Maybe it's easier for him to do that than think about it."

There was an unspoken _like you and partying._ Kat wanted to deny it, say that he told her he wasn't. But there was the other week, when he was tearing up his Dark Mark. And, as much as she hated to admit it, he didn't trust her. Him lying to her wasn't that farfetched.

"He feels guilty," Kat found herself saying, "about what Hermione published. And about bullying her."

About the marriage, about the war. About everything. What if Draco reacted so strongly because he was embarrassed? Because he felt like she caught him?

"What if…" Neville said slowly, as if he shouldn't say anything at all. "What if he cursed himself, Kat?"

* * *

"Are you sure?" Lily asked for the hundredth time. Narcissa was so excited about tonight that she wanted the pair of them to buy new dress robes. "And you know, it could be years, Cissa."

"But they're trying!" Cissa practically squealed as she started looking at robes that had diamonds instead of buttons. "They wouldn't be trying if they weren't in love! At least, not until the school year ended."

Kat told her that she was spending Halloween night on the toilet after some bad takeaway for lunch. James bought it, but Lily knew it was a lie. Still, wanting alone time with her husband didn't necessarily mean they were trying to have a baby.

"I worry I've… made a mistake," Lily confessed to Narcissa. They had become good friends in all this. Because they were the villains, the masterminds. "Why did Lucius have to rush the courting, Cissa? If they were still getting to know each other, I don't think this would have been as… _horrific_ for either of them."

Narcissa wasn't having it. "My son nearly died," she said firmly. "And so did your daughter on a number of occasions. And what difference does it make if they fall in love before or after their marriage? The end result is the same."

Way to avoid the question. Lily ran her fingers over a bright green shawl. Suddenly, she felt rather chilled. "I should have let her decide."

"What? If she would rather die than be with me son?" Cissa said hotly. "She'll understand when they—"

"How will she when I still don't?" Lily tried to swallow done her sorrow and guilt, but couldn't. "She's my baby. And I panicked and now she hates me. That's why I didn't let her decide. Because I knew that she would say no and one day go back out there and…"

Never come back. The War was over, and she still couldn't say it. She was so defensive that she could only tell Narcissa how she truly felt. She thought the other woman would understand, but it was clear that she didn't. Draco wanted this, so why would it matter to her?

"You did the right thing," Narcissa insisted. That made Lily sure that she didn't.

* * *

Dinner was going to be a delight. Dread clenched Draco's heart as he slowly started to get ready. Then, to top things off, he heard an angry shriek from Pansy.

He found them in the sitting room closest to Katherine's room, fighting over a bottle of liquor. Pansy didn't drink anymore, but with Katherine's Muggle jeans and sour attitude, he knew what she was thinking.

"You're trying to poison me!" she snarled as she tried to rip the bottle out of Katherine's hands. "Henchmen of the Devil you are!"

"Why would I be drinking poison?" Katherine hollered. "I just wanted the bloody corkscrew!"

She wanted a bottle of wine to herself, just before dinner with their parents. Lovely. Mother would be delighted, considering what she thought she was celebrating. Draco frowned, wondering if he should break up the fight or have Pansy teach her a lesson.

Pansy tugged and only succeed in taking the wine because Katherine caught sight of him and loosened her grip. With a grunt, she stumbled backwards and pointed at Katherine. "You! You are toxic! I can see it! The evil oozing out of you!"

"You…" Katherine couldn't bring herself to retort. Bleeding heart Gryffindors loved to pity those below them.

"Pans." Draco felt terrible when she whipped around to face him, looking as lost as ever. "I'd think you'd rather eat with your pygmy puff tonight. You know how annoying Mr. Potter can be."

Pansy narrowed her eyes and dropped the bottle, not even realizing that she did it. "She is like slime. It is time! Time, to get rid of _it._ The evil between you."

"Goodnight, Pans," Draco whispered as she slunk away. "The house elves managed to put half a dose in her food this morning," he said as soon as she was gone. "But she grew suspicious when they started watching her eat."

"Sorry." She wasn't. Not for wanting to get drunk before dinner anyway. "I—"

"I get that you're mad at me, but—"

"I'm not." Now she looked guilty. She put her hands behind her back and teetered slightly. "I'm afraid. For you."

Before Draco could say anything, Mother popped her head in, looking ecstatic until she saw what Katherine was wearing. "There you are! Our guests will be arriving shortly! So… Hurry and get changed, Katherine!"

No matter how crummy she felt, Katherine couldn't resist being a jerk. "I would, but I'm really tired for some reason…"

"Oh." Mother lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "Y-yes of course. I-I'll see you at dinner!"

She was gone in a flash, no doubt telling Father that she thought there was going to be an "announcement" at dinner. Draco glared at Katherine. "You're a fucking asshole."

"Well I don't know, Drakey-poo," she said dryly. "Maybe if you weren't filled to the brim with secrets, I'd be a little more _docile_."

Draco growled to himself and stomped off. Now he was _really_ looking forward to dinner.

* * *

Mrs. Malfoy told everyone that they were "doing the deed." As evil as it was, Kat took some satisfaction from the glares Dad kept sending Draco's way. She almost felt bad for Mrs. Malfoy. Almost.

"I cannot wait to have the Manor filled with birthday parties and Saint Nick and…" She sighed happily. "It'll be like a dream."

"I like Sanders," Kat said as she helped herself to some mash potatoes. Mrs. Malfoy tried to smile, thinking she was talking about baby names. "Colonel Sanders."

"Ridiculous," Mr. Malfoy muttered. Mum raised her eyebrows.

"Or Wendy," Kat went on. "Because Ronald McDonald—"

"Kat!" Mum smiled at her for the first time in what felt like ages. "Is this what you've been up to lately?"

No one understood but the two of them, which felt good, having something between just her and Mum. Not even Dad knew. In fact, he thought they were talking about her and Malfoy… Draco trying to have a baby. "All day and all night in fact."

Mum glanced at Dad, who was turning red, out of the corner of her eye. "Well… It's good to know things have been looking up."

Kat leaned over. "Even in the Chinese buffet."

Dad jumped out of his seat. "You son of a bitch!"

"Mr. Potter!" Mrs. Malfoy said firmly. Draco sunk into his seat, humiliated. Good. "They are married! And doing their duty—"

"You're rushing her!" Dad spat. "All three of you!" He pointed at Draco. "And I thought you had a sense of decency—"

"I have no idea what she's talking about!" Malfoy squeaked.

"Jaime," Mum tried.

"I thought you wouldn't use her as the Malfoy family breeder," Dad thundered. "And you're telling your Mum that you can't go to the Halloween Ball because Kat's ovulating!"

"You really said that?!" Kat started laughing as Draco put his face in his hands in shame. Mr. Malfoy was rubbing at his temples. "Dad! Do I have to throw out the name Mayor McCheese? The source my childhood nightmares?"

Dad's angry face went slack while the Malfoys became even more confused. KFC, Wendy's, and finally McDonald's. "So… It's a joke."

"Like everything else in my life," Draco muttered bitterly.

Kat shrugged. For the first time in a while… Well, let's be honest, _not_ for the first time in a while, she just wanted to talk to Mum. She told herself it was more out of needing to know Malfoy's curse, but she didn't feel comfortable outing Malfoy like that. Because after talking with Neville, she was convinced he was slowly killing himself. "Can I help with Percy's wedding, Mum? Ginny said I can't try the cake for hers."

She couldn't even remember her own wedding cake. The whole day was that terrible. She just… wanted her mum. Mum always made everything better. She supposed that was the problem. This marriage contract was her way of trying to solve everything. She couldn't let her daughter fight or try to make things better for herself.

"Of course, baby." Mum hesitated. The distance between them was great, even though they were sitting across from each other. "Mrs. Weasley said Daphne can't be bothered with anything… You feeling up to it?"

Spending time with her, even if Mrs. Weasley was playing arbitrator. Kat wasn't sure, but awkwardly sleeping beside Draco felt lonely. Ginny would only laugh and say _I told you so._ She still couldn't even look at Hermione. Dad would only want to have a long talk with Draco. Mum was the only one she felt like was willing to listen.

Kat nodded and found herself zoning out for the rest of the night. Good thing too, because she could tell by Dad's face that Mrs. Malfoy was as annoying as hell. She and Mum were going to be alone sooner or later. What was she going to say?

* * *

Mrs. Weasley was over the moon for Percy. Kat (and everyone else) didn't have the heart to tell her that Daphne clearly didn't even _like_ Percy. At least Percy didn't seem to mind…

"What kind of bride doesn't want to pick out her wedding dress?" Mum muttered. Kat just wore Mum's… There was an unspoken agreement not to say why. Kat didn't care what she wore that day. The only difference was that Daphne wanted this wedding. Well, wanted was a rather strong word.

"We should get her something really ugly," Kat joked. Daphne was too scary to really do something like that to.

"Look at this!" Mrs. Weasley gushed as she held up a pure white gown. Kat wondered if Mrs. Weasley liked that Daphne didn't care. It meant that she could make every decision herself.

"I don't know about the pearls," Mum said. Mrs. Weasley wasn't listening and rushed off to give the tailor Daphne's measurements.

"You know Kat," Mum whispered when she was gone. "You could always get remarried, one day. Have a wedding that you want."

"To who?" Kat asked flatly before she could stop herself. Mum bit her lip and turned away, not understanding why she was ticked off. "I didn't mean it like that, Mum."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, running her fingers over the various dresses. "I thought—"

"You knew it was wrong," Kat couldn't resist saying. "That's why you didn't tell me." Mum flinched. "Draco and I should have known."

Mum's eyes filled with tears, but she had the decency to keep them from fallings. "I didn't want to hurt you. And I deluded myself into thinking I was saving you. Petunia was right…"

Maybe she was. Kat hadn't thought about Aunt Petunia in ages. For some reason, she felt like she didn't need her anymore. "You made me feel like… like my thoughts didn't matter. And ever since that day, I've felt like that all the time. Like everyone thinks I'm too stupid. Even I think that. And I feel… separate from everyone."

"Like Hermione and me?" Especially like Hermione and Mum. Kat often felt less than. Draco not thinking she was worthy of knowing what was going on with him was the final straw. "Kat, you are the best thing that ever happened to me." Mum frowned when Kat ignored her. "I was scared. That was no excuse to keep you out of the loop with your own life, but… I should have told you. I should never have done anything without you knowing. And I threw away your happiness because out of rash fear. I completely understand if you never want to speak to me again."

Kat didn't know what to say. What her mother did was unforgiveable but… She couldn't picture a world with Mum, and she hated the idea of not knowing Malfoy the way she did. She pursed her lips. "I want him to trust me, and he doesn't."

"Do you trust him?" Mum didn't miss that she didn't accept her apology. Her eyes were dull, but that didn't stop her from trying to help.

"I don't know," Kat confessed. "The fact that he doesn't trust me makes me not trust him." Mum raised her eyebrows. " _He's_ the one who says he loves me. So he should trust me."

"He loves you?" Mum must be the only one who didn't know. Kat turned away and started looking for shoes for Daphne. Now she was going to say that Draco had her best interests, and she should trust _him_ , blah, blah, blah. "Well tell him to start acting like it!"

Kat froze and then spun around. Mum had her hands on her hips, never a good sign. "He…"

"Love isn't something you tell, Kat," Mum said firmly. "It's something you show. And if he wants this to work, he has to work with you. Just like you need to work with him and not overdose instead of telling him you're worried."

"I don't know how I feel." She sighed as she watched Mrs. Weasley brag to the tailor. She didn't even know how she felt about Mum.

Mum put her hand on her shoulder, making Kat jump. "You have to let yourself figure that out."

Kat's heart started to pound at the thought.

* * *

Draco had a respiratory infection. Lucius knew he should leave that school, but Cissa insisted that they did what they could to make him feel normal. That was the problem. Draco wasn't normal and never would be again.

This was his fault. Lucius felt so guilty that sometimes, he couldn't bear to look at his own son. Draco thought that his father hated him, and he didn't even have the courage to tell him otherwise. He, like Draco, couldn't even speak about it.

Katherine didn't give a damn about Draco. Perhaps that was why he brought her to his first meeting with his investors. They would avoid the subject together.

"Why are we here?" Katherine snapped before the meeting.

"You want to earn a living, Katherine." He focused on his notes, and not the fact that he needed a girl from the Light side in order to reel in clients. "That involves going to work every day."

A very unfeminine snort came from her direction. "Money doesn't make me happy."

"Oh?" He should have simply let her be a secretary or something. If only she had a brother. It would be better to hire him. "I would assume not starving to death does. And feeding the imaginary children you're tormenting my wife with."

The sound of finger nails clicking on the table made him wince. A man wouldn't have done that. "Are you mad at Draco?"

"No." His tone was so nasty that anyone else would've been silenced into submission. He didn't want to talk about it with Cissa, let alone Katherine. The hellion only paused.

"I caught him doing it. Last year." Like hell she did. Everyone would've known then. "Does he hurt himself often?"

Lucius slammed his quill on his desk. "Shut up!"

Katherine took a deep breath as their clients started filing in. For a while, she only spoke when she was spoken to, but she never made a fool of herself. Her words were always practical, if not a little blunt. Lucius was almost starting to enjoy her company. Almost.

"Why should we take you on if you aren't willing to follow a budget?" she asked their youngest clients, who arrived towards the end of the day. Because they were willing to pay that's why! They had turned their nose up at everything she proposed so far, and Katherine wasn't having it.

"We need to invest in our restaurant in order for it to pay off," snapped the young man, a member of the Smith family. They were trying to put the money the Ministry had given them for fighting in the War to good use.

"There's a difference between investing and spending frivolously," Katherine shot back. "You're already knee deep in debt, and the place hasn't even opened yet. At this rate, you won't last a year. Why should I put my accountants through the stress of dealing with you when you aren't willing to work with us? We've been meeting with people all day. We don't need you, even though you clearly need us."

They had two other clients who showed up. The third refused after that article Granger published. They weren't exactly in a position to turn people down. As soon as they stormed out, he was going to throttle her. Hmmm… Which would look worse for him? Throttling or firing her?

"Everything in the place we bought is old," the other Smith yelled. "We need new—"

"You've already redone the part the customers see." From the sound of things, Katherine was forcing herself to approve of that. "As long as everything is up to code and works efficiently, you need to wait until you turn a profit before redoing the kitchen. What you need to focus on is finding a decent staff. Looks will only get you so far."

"You're just supposed to be making sure our taxes are in order," spat Smith.

Katherine stood up and held out her hand. "We'll see you during tax season then."

Lucius was absolutely livid when the Smiths stormed out. She was not the boss! He was! "Katherine—"

"You would've done the same thing," she said hotly. "You're just mad because I did it first."

She had her wretched bleached hair sleeked back and even had a pout on her face that resembled Draco's. Maybe he would've done the same thing a few years ago, but now, he knew what it was like to barely have two sickles to rub together.

"You don't like them because of how their nephew treated Longbottom!" Lucius snarled. Katherine scowled. "And because of that, you are not welcome here!"

"You're the one…" She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "Your son can barely breathe, and you're going about your business as usual! You know for a fact that the Smiths wouldn't be able to pay us! And you will drag me back here because it looks good! That's all you care about! Appearances and money! You don't give a damn about Draco!"

His wand was at her throat because Draco's name was fully out of her mouth. Katherine shut up, but she didn't look afraid. They stood there for a very long time.

"Get off your high horse," he seethed as he lowered his wand. He was so angry that he couldn't even speak at a normal pace. "You are preaching about what you don't understand."

"I understand plenty." The little fool grabbed her briefcase, a gift from her father, and stomped towards the floo.

* * *

Every once and a while, Cissa made Lucius pick up Draco. He could usually get out of it, but not tonight, not after Katherine sulked about the Manor and refused dinner. The sad fact was that Lucius couldn't recall the last time he had touched his own son. He wondered if Draco understood it was out of guilt and not disgust.

"Your dad called me a slut," Katherine lied. She was lounging on Draco's bed, doing his best to make him laugh despite his terrible cough and burning fever.

"He—did, ack, not," Draco tried to say between coughs. "Your dad is-isn't h-here k-killing him."

"Well he didn't exactly say that." She must be referring to him stating that she had a grudge against the Smiths because of Longbottom. "His cologne smells like skunks having sex."

"Katherine!"

She sighed dramatically as Draco struggled through a weak laugh. Lucius leaned closer but quickly drew away when he saw her run her fingers over Draco's bandage. He didn't know she knew about that… "You don't talk about him as much as you used to. It used to sound like you were best friends."

Used to. That stuck with Draco too, because he didn't respond. Lucius watched out of the corner of his eye as Katherine cast a freezing charm on a cloth before wiping the sweat of Draco's forehead.

"I forgive my mum." Katherine words were quiet. The confession sounded like she felt like she was betraying herself. Lucius wondered if it was a lie to make Draco feel better. "So I told her that you're really sick. She's disinfecting our rooms to get rid of all the germs. I'll milk it until we graduate and get away from all the sniffling first years."

"Prat."

Draco sounded like he was trying to stay awake. Not good, since they had to go downstairs in a few minutes.

"I hate cleaning." Silence. Draco was obviously out cold. Great. Lucius started walking into the room just in time to see Katherine kiss his forehead. The gesture was a simple one, but it made Lucius stop in his tracks. At the sight of him, Katherine jumped away and blushed. "What?"

"I have to take Draco to his healer," he lied. Was Katherine falling in love with Draco? It didn't matter. She had a purpose, and with her dowry, she had half served it. But… If she did, it would mean so much to Draco. _It used to sound like you were best friends._ Half the time, he could barely look at him. It wasn't lost to Katherine.

"I'll take him," she said protectively.

"No." Like hell he'd let her tell him what to do.

"Why do you hate him for being sick? He can't help it." Here we go again… Before she could get on her soapbox again, the clock struck four fifteen, and Draco's eyes snapped open.

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" he demanded. Great. Now he was going to take his panic and fever induced anger out on Lucius. Katherine blinked when he struggled to get out of bed and nearly fell. "We have to go."

"I'm coming." So she didn't know. He wondered if Draco would waste his time—

"NO!" His eyes became wild as she started to get out of bed to help him.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Katherine said gently. The little fool thought she knew.

Draco paused. Lucius supposed he would've looked menacing if it weren't for his wheezing and sallow skin. "I don't want you there."

This week, Katherine seemed to jump from self-righteous Gryffindor to kicked puppy. "Why?"

"I told you," he spat, making even Lucius raise his eyebrows, "it's none of your business."

Katherine didn't say anything as he clumsily stumbled off. Lucius should've known that she would be waiting for him to return.

* * *

"What?" he asked tiredly when she was leaning against his bedroom door waiting for him. Not even an hour had passed, and he felt exhausted, mentally, not physically. To top it all off, he didn't know where Cissa was. He would love more than anything to pawn his daughter-in-law off to her.

Detective Potter glared at him. "One question."

"Oh joy."

She huffed and shook her head, obviously thinking that he was slime that belonged on the bottom of her shoe. "If Draco wasn't sick, would you have gone through with the marriage contract?"

Absolutely not. Lucius felt his lip curl on its own accord. That still didn't stop him from lying. "Yes. Your reputation and wealth make up for your soiled blood."

Stupid Gryffindor. She probably couldn't even tell that he was lying. Suddenly, she looked rather sad. "At least I'm good for something…"

Lucius rolled his eyes as she slunk away. Who knew love made Gryffindors so melancholy.

* * *

Percy didn't want to marry Daphne. Not really. But he wanted to be Minister of Magic. People were still prejudiced, not You-Know-Who prejudiced, but a "liberal" Weasley paired off with one of the somewhat conservative Greengrasses would earn him some more votes as he moved up the political ladder.

"It's best that she doesn't care for me," Percy murmured. "Astoria would try."

"Would that be so bad?" The darkness made it hard to see her. Hermione traced patterns on his chest. Mum would be up soon. She should go. "Perhaps Astoria—"

"I'm not going to pretend to love anyone," Percy said firmly. That was where he drew the line. Hermione said she didn't want to earn political clout for what was between her legs. There was nothing wrong with a power couple…

Hermione rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Daphne's smart."

"I'm smarter." Percy grinned when Hermione didn't say anything. "I would dump her in a second, for you."

"I'm not going to be the Minister's wife." Hermione sat up and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm going to be Minister."

And Hermione wouldn't settle for being Minister _after_ him, even though he had more experience, was more willing to suck the arse of the right people. She wouldn't have people only voting for her because she was the former Minster's wife.

"So it's a race then?" Percy didn't like coming in second either. Hermione chuckled and climbed on top of him. He loved a challenge.

 **Does Kat really forgive Lily? She wants to. I think there's a difference between wanting to forgive someone and actually forgiving them, especially when it's something really bad and it's reasonable to not forgive them. She needs time, but right now, just wants her mom.**

 **Thank you for the reviews Megafan1, Ern Estine 13624, mizzrazz72, amata0221, and**

 **gr8rockstarrox!**

 **mizzrazz72: Their conclusion will be next chapter!**


	9. Pity Party

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 9 Pity Party

"Think Sirius is really going to do it?" Tonks asked as she nursed Teddy while looking at Black Manor outside the window of their cottage.

"You know how nervous he gets about things like this," Remus said tiredly. "He's too afraid to back out."

Tonks hummed in agreement. She didn't mind Remus sneaking off with Sirius, not really. Just like Remus didn't mind her occasionally sneaking off with Charlie. But that didn't mean… "You know I love you, right?"

Remus raised his eyebrows as if it were a stupid question. "Do I need to reassure you of the same?"

No. No, he didn't. For a while, Tonks felt bad when Remus said that he loved her in public, because in public usually meant near Sirius. But why would Remus's love for her have to be dependent on him _not_ loving Sirius? And vice versa? "Of course not. I was just thinking…"

"Oh now, don't do that." Remus grinned and held his hands up in surrender when she glared at him. "I love you, Dora. And I always will."

Tonks smiled down at Teddy. They were happy the way things were. And, with the upcoming changes, there was only one person she was worried wouldn't be. "I'm worried about Ginny."

Remus sighed, telling her that he was just as worried. "There's nothing we can do but try to make her feel at home."

Tonks chewed on her lip. Even though she knew Remus would wind up in Sirius's bed, she wanted to go to the Manor, to make sure he wasn't lonely or worse, guilty over Ginny's decision. This life may suit them, but it didn't suit everyone. What was Ginny going to do?

* * *

Kat wasn't sure if she should be part of this wedding. Honestly, she just used the planning as an excuse to spend time with Mum, try to force herself to forgive her. Was it wrong to miss someone you were mad at? Kat didn't know. She also didn't know if that necessarily meant she should pretend what happened never did. She just happened to be married to Draco Bloody Malfoy. Nothing to see here…

Hermione was a bridesmaid too, which Kat thought was even weirder. She thought her sister would be outside protesting, exposing Daphne and Ginny against their will. It would be the perfect opportunity to get her name out there.

But Hermione was standing next to her, looking a little bored if anything else. The strangest thing was that when the doors opened, and Daphne started walking down the aisle with her father, Hermione wouldn't look at her. She simply pursed her lips and stared straight ahead, looking out of place when everyone turned to watch Daphne.

Percy didn't even smile when Daphne reached him. In fact, Kat thought he looked downright miserable. Whenever she saw the two of them together, Kat thought that Percy looked indifferent. They ignored each other more often than not.

Daphne hands were in Percy's, but her eyes were on Ginny. "Gin…"

Kat felt like she blinked, and Daphne and Ginny were halfway down the aisle. The collective gasp from everyone in the church made her jump and turn to see Daphne clumsily grab Ginny's hand as they ran. Ginny looked back once before they apparated. Daphne didn't.

 _I'm not explaining this to_ _ **any**_ _body,_ Kat thought to herself. She tried to catch Hermione's eye, but she too absorbed in Percy's shocked, slack jawed expression. Now what were they going to do?

* * *

"Why are they still having the reception?" Draco whispered. No one spoke above a whisper. Kat was watching Dad ask Mr. Weasley if he could cut the cake, and Mum smack him on the back of the head for being insensitive.

"No one wants Mrs. Weasley to be alone right now," Kat whispered back. From what she could gather, Mrs. Weasley knew that Ginny was attracted to women, but didn't know she attracted to, well, Percy's.

"Right…" Draco didn't get it and picked at his salad. His parents, and the rest of the Greengrass party, went home. Most of them anyway. Astoria Greengrass was chatting rather adamantly with Ron. The normally shy girl was the loudest one in the Potter ballroom.

Kat craned her neck, trying to get a better look at Dad. Mrs. Weasley made the cake, so it was probably _be an insensitive asshole_ good. She wondered when it would be an appropriate time to ask for it. Better yet… "Can you ask Dad for some cake?"

Draco stared. He simply didn't understand how good Mrs. Weasley's cakes were. "Actually, I have a question for you."

"I'm not dancing," she said, "it's just background noise so Mrs. Weasley can cry as loud as she wants."

More staring. It wasn't like they were missing or anything! Ginny and Daphne were probably freaking out to themselves in some shady hotel in Muggle London! They were perfectly fine.

"That's, uh, not what I was going to ask." Draco cleared his throat and pushed around his salad with his fork. "With your mum's Vow, all you had to do was marry me. If Longbottom wanted to run off with you after the ceremony, like Ginevra and Daphne did, would you have done it?"

Kat felt her mouth hang open slightly. "It… never crossed my mind."

"Really?" He clearly thought she was lying. Sure, Neville was the more honorable of the two of them. And sure, if she had thought of that, it would be really mean to tell him she did, but she truly didn't think of it.

Kat narrowed her eyes. "And why would I need Neville to run off? I have legs."

Draco snorted bitterly. "You know what I mean. Without Longbottom, you would be alone."

"So?" Kat snapped, breaking the depressing silence and causing a few people to turn their heads. "What do you want me to say? I'm not going to lie to you so you can feel self-pity. Running off never crossed my mind."

"Do you wish it did?" he pressed.

What was wrong with him? Things were going… sort of well. He was the one always ruining it! She was trying, and he said he loved her, but it seemed that he loved pushing her away more.

"No," she forced herself to say, more to spite him than anything else. This was getting ridiculous.

"Why?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said sarcastically. "You're just not Percy Fucking Weasley level annoying, but you're really pushing the envelope tonight, _Drakey Poo_."

He curled his lip in disgusted and shoved his plate away. "I keep waiting for you to."

Kat blinked and found herself softening. That's all he had to say. Stupid wanker. "Oh…"

Dad just arrived with more plates of cake than he could carry with a triumphant look on his face. "She said yes! Ow!"

Mum shook her head in disgust. "Really James? You owe Molly and Arthur an apology!"

"They owe Sirius an apology," Dad muttered as he passed out the plates.

"Dad, could you save me a piece?" Kat asked as sweetly as she could. "And Draco's piece? Not for him, but for me. We're going to check on You-Know-Who."

"Voldemort?" Dad asked innocently, earning him another smack on the back of the head from Mum. He merely rolled his eyes. "Fine. Stop by in the morning Kitty Kat. The Weasleys are staying with us so I can't guarantee your cake won't be tear soaked. Ow!"

"You know where they are?" Draco asked as they headed for the floo.

"No." Kat grinned. "You don't tell your dad you want to spend the evening with your husband. Sicko."

Draco turned pink.

* * *

Percy took a sip of his wine. People were giving him space, so he was alone on a balcony at Potter Manor, pretending to be devastated. He was more embarrassed than anything else. It would be all over the papers by morning, and he would have to have pretended to be clueless and heartbroken for the press.

"Think I should stay home for a while?" Percy asked. He could sense Hermione's presence from behind him. "Pretend to be grief-stricken?"

Hermione shrugged and put her elbows on the balcony railing like he did. "Did you know? About her and Ginny?"

"I'm not stupid." Percy wrinkled his nose. "At least I would know the children were mine."

"And here I thought just Kat and I knew." Hermione stole his goblet and took a gulp before clicking her tongue in distaste. "You know I prefer white wine."

"I figured you'd keep your distance." Percy couldn't take his eyes off her lips when she licked the wine off. "I don't know what to say to Mum. Or anyone for that matter. Because besides being made to look like a fool, I really don't give a damn."

Hermione laughed to herself. "Take advantage of it before I do."

Percy shifted to face her. She wanted to turn it into a gay rights issue. He didn't care who fucked who as long as no one was hurt. Perhaps he should start, act like he had no idea and pretend to feel sorry for Daphne. "Going to start parading in the streets like a loon?"

Hermione smirked. "And I'll get arrested for protesting right when the press shows up."

Interesting… It would take the press away from him, so perhaps he should keep silent until she was in the Ministry holding cell. Then, the attention will be back on him, while she's stuck in jail. But for now… "Dance with me."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"If I'm never going to get to marry you, at least dance with me on my wedding day." Part of him was relieved that Daphne ran off. During the whole wedding planning nonsense, he was secretly waiting for Hermione to put a stop to it, to announce to the whole world that _she_ loved _him._ It never happened.

Hermione's ice cold hands slid over his. "We're beyond marriage, Percy."

What the hell did that even mean? Percy kissed her deeply, feeling like he could never get close enough to her. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and tightened her grip when he pulled away. She felt the same way.

"One dance," she whispered as she put her chin on his shoulder. One dance, and then they would go back to sneaking around.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Ginny found herself screaming. She was all for running away, but they literally had nothing but their wands and what Gringotts would let them take out at this hour. Running away took planning.

"I couldn't bear it." Daphne shivered and walked away from the grimy window she was gazing tiredly out of. "You were right. I couldn't bear any of it, living a lie like that for the rest of my damned life."

"I can't face my parents." Ginny covered her face with her shaking hands. "I told you what my dad said about Sirius! And my Mum knew about me and was acting like she didn't! She'll _never_ forgive me for this!"

"She will." How could she say that, knowing her dad would never forgive her for this in a million years? Maybe that was why. "Ginny, we couldn't live like that, hoping Hermione would set us free in who knows how long. And don't give me that change is coming bullshit," she added when Ginny opened her mouth. "We cannot sit around and wait until it does!"

"So what are we going to do?" From the looks of things, they were going to abandon all their friends and family instead.

Daphne's pouty lips turned into a frown, never a good thing when she was plotting something. "We're going to sue the Ministry."

* * *

"I am so fucked," Sirius slurred as Lily was trying to get the Weasleys to bed.

James passed him a slice of the coveted cake. "What do you mean? You'll be scot free for a while since the _love of your life_ ran off."

"But people will think I'm interested in marriage now," he muttered. "Skeeter's going to make me _Witch Weekly's_ most eligible bachelor."

"I hear she's single," James joked. Sirius only glared at him, thank goodness. He had enough lumps on the back of his head from Lily. "I'm sure there's another lesbian who would love to marry you, Padfoot."

"That's what I get for listening to a teenage girl, I suppose." Sirius took yet another shot of Firewhiskey.

James waved him off, trying to act like he wasn't just as worried for Sirius as he was. "It'll work out, Padfoot. If not, I'll just sue the Ministry, and they'll give me what I want because I'm just that cool."

"Is that what you said to Kat about the Malfoys?" Okay… Sirius was definitely not in the mood for jokes…

"You're my best friend," James said firmly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Sirius pretended to believe him.

* * *

"The next few weeks are going to be intense, and I'm glad I'm not involved," Kat sang as she unbuttoned Draco's shirt.

"Er, good for you?" Draco jumped when she silenced him with a kiss and leaned back onto his bed when she climbed on top of him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Kat said as flirtatiously as she could.

"Katherine…" His face colored with nerves and with what Kat hoped was excitement. One good thing should happen tonight. They were finally going to move forward. "Are-are you sure this is the right time?"

"Yes." Kat leaned over and put her face as close to his as she could without kissing him, so it was the only thing he could see. "Because we're going to get roped into something tomorrow, and there's going to be fights, and I want some just us time first."

"That doesn't mean we have to…" He lowered his voice as if his parents could hear. "…do it."

"I want to," she said seriously before kissing his neck in hopes that his blood would leave his brain and go further south.

He tried to get up, but she wouldn't let him. "Let me at least get my wand to cast the charm."

"Don't worry about it." Kat felt her face turn red as she said it. Somewhere, she was sure Mrs. Malfoy felt really happy and didn't know why.

He frowned, thinking she was being reckless. "We still have six months of school left. It can wait."

"I know it can't," Kat blurted out before she could think of a gentler way to say it. Draco's frown only deepened. "I-I know. That you're, you know, erhm… dying."

All of the color drained from his face. Kat closed her eyes, waiting for him to confirm it. The silence seemed to stretch on forever. She opened one eye to see that he looked angry with her.

"So that's what this is about," he said flatly. Kat jumped off of him, suddenly feeling afraid, not of him, but of what she had just done to him. "Why you've been so nice these past few months."

Kat gulped. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Um… Well, I wouldn't be mean to you, knowing… You know…"

"You don't resent me anymore because I have an expiration date," he thundered. "You thought you weren't stuck with me forever, that all you had to do was wait so you could be with Longbottom."

"It's not like that!" Kat yelled defensively. But she did only start caring for him because she thought he was dying. She never thought about what would happen _after_ he died. It was sick, but she supposed since he was dying, it was all he thought about.

"Well you're going to have to wait longer than you thought." Draco jumped off the bed and started buttoning up his shirt. He turned his back to her. "Or maybe not. Because I never want to see you again."

"Because of what you cooked up in your head?!" Kat shrieked, not realizing she was crying until a few tears slid down her cheeks. "I care about you enough to want you to die happy! That's what this was about!"

He didn't believe her and still couldn't face her because he was finally going to reveal his secret. "I'm not dying. I'm a werewolf."

 **Thank you for the reviews Ern Estine 13624, N, amata0221, Vi38, Megafan1, and gr8rockstarrox!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: Your guess was right, but I didn't want to ruin for you!** _ **And**_ **he's not the typical werewolf, as we'll see in the next couple chapters!**


	10. I'm in love with you

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 10 I'm in love with you

"That's not possible." Kat didn't realize she had spoken out loud until the words left her lips. Draco and Remus were nothing alike. He didn't have any gaping wounds and… Well, Kat couldn't remember a time when Remus ever let her see him sick, even when he was a professor. Still, Remus wasn't nearly as sick as Draco was all the time. "It-it doesn't make sense…"

"Disappointed?" Draco asked loudly, breaking Kat from her thoughts. He paused, and she was in too much shock to realize he was waiting for her to deny it. "You need to leave."

* * *

Lily was pretending to sleep when someone shook her shoulder. In fact, she was close to dozing and thought for a second that it was Molly. "You'll feel a lot better in the morning…"

"Mum!" Her eyes flung open when she realized it was Kat, and that she was crying. "I-I… It was horrible!"

She must've been still been half asleep. "It only hurts the first time. It won't after this, I promise…"

"WHAT?!" James picked up on it before Kat did. Maybe she shouldn't have had a few glasses of wine before bed…

Lily rubbed her eyes and forced herself to sit up. "What happened, baby?"

Kat sniffled, too upset to know what her wine clogged brain thought. "He-he thinks that I was waiting for-for him to d-die!"

"You've got a bit of a wait, Kitty Kat," James said flatly. His eyes narrowed, still suspicious as Kat started crying into her hands. "What happened?"

"I'm not!" she sobbed. "I just thought he was!"

"Why?" Lily asked slowly. Draco had been sick a few times, Pansy said, but Narcissa always shushed her and gave her a diagnosis from their family healer a day or two later. She had a nagging feeling that something else was up but tried to forget about it with everything else that was going on.

"Because he's always s-s-sick and I thought…" Kat started sobbing uncontrollably and didn't try to collect herself until Lily put a hand on her arm. She didn't say, "He's a werewolf!" until Lily pulled her into a hug.

"Oh… That makes sense…" Good to know James's insensitive mood didn't go away after the Weasleys went to bed. When Kat kept crying, he softened up a bit. "So what, Kitty Kat? Your mum will take care of him like she does for Remus, and he'll be as good as new. He's not going to die any time soon."

Kat couldn't stop crying while she tried to explain what happened. It was a while before Lily was able to understand what she was saying. Draco was convinced that she _wanted_ him to die and now wanted nothing to do with her. Given how much blood purity meant to him, she was sure a simple apology and explanation wasn't going to be enough for him. She was going to have to have Narcissa talk him. She already felt sorry for the boy.

* * *

Yet again Mother blinded him with sunlight when he wanted to lay in bed all day and pretend to sleep. Draco groaned and turned over. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about Katherine. He honestly wasn't sure if he loved her anymore. And if he didn't love her, what was the point?

"Draco!" She wasn't happy with him. Great. "You couldn't listen to what she had to say?"

He covered his eyes with is hands but knew wasn't good enough for Mother. "I don't want to hear her excuses."

"Is there anything she could say?" Mother demanded. "Or will you insist that anything she does say is a lie?"

"She was waiting for me to die. She was simply humoring me." There was nothing she could say that would make that okay. The only reason she showed him any kindness was because she knew that she wouldn't have to for much longer. His death would have been a celebration for her. "I want a divorce."

* * *

"It doesn't even make sense," Kat told Mum once she calmed down, took a nap, and had a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands. "I've seen Remus's scar on his leg."

"And?" Mum didn't understand. Kat couldn't stop thinking about last night and the last few months, how she could have possibly missed that Draco was a werewolf.

"He has…" She gestured on her stomach to where Draco's wound was. "I think it was a bite mark on his stomach. But he freaked out and picked at it so it wouldn't look like a bite mark when it scarred. That was over a year ago. It never closed up or scarred over. He says it doesn't bleed, but he still keeps it bandaged."

Mum frowned like she didn't understand for a moment. Because she was smarter than Kat would ever be, it dawned on her after a few seconds. Her eyes filled with sadness, but she didn't tell Kat what was up. "You know how hard this must be for him."

"Not really," Kat grumbled. She wanted to scowl, be a brat and blame everything on him, but she couldn't. She felt too much like crying for that. "Because he never told me! He knows about Remus! I would never hate someone for being a werewolf!"

"He hates himself," Mum said softly. "You know they are different from us, Kat. You heard the things they would say about Remus after everyone found out. They pride themselves too much in something they're born with, something they have no control over. And now that he's lost that… It was his entire identity, Kat."

"It isn't to me." Kat took a sip of her hot chocolate, wishing it could warm her up. Her talk with Mum wasn't making her feel any better.

"Percy?" Mum blinked in surprise, although Kat didn't know why. The Weasley were staying here after all.

Maybe it was because Percy was all dressed up, like he had gone to work as usual. Kat wasn't surprised though because Percy seemed like the type who wore dress robes for everything, even for bed. What did catch her eye, however, was a roll of parchment in his hands.

"One of my colleagues stopped by." The night's events didn't seem to effect Percy at all. He was still the socially awkward, stick up the arse nerd. He pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat. Kat supposed he was trying to sound sympathetic. "I persuaded him to let me give you this. You've been served."

* * *

Lucius pulled a face at the sight of her stepping through the floo without James. He always did, so Lily decided long ago to ignore him. For once, he had something to say.

"Tell Katherine to disregard what my son sent to her the other evening," Lucius seethed. "He let his temper get the best of him."

"I did not." Draco was sitting at the window with a book that Lily was sure he wasn't reading. His pale skin and the dark circles under his eyes told her that he was feeling about as good as Kat was right now.

"You are not getting divorced," Lucius growled. "Especially since you told her…" He couldn't bear to say it. "Everyone's going to find out what you are!"

"Stop it!" There were a million more things Lily wanted to say, but because of the reason she came here, she held her tongue. No wonder Draco was so disgusted with himself. "Draco… There's something I need to talk to you about."

"I'm not apologizing."

Lily sighed. They'd both sit in limbo until they were forty if everyone let them. "Actually, I want to talk about your lycanthropy." Both Malfoys stiffened, causing Lily to bite her lip. "You took a repressor before your first transformation, didn't you?"

"Of course he didn't," Lucius snapped. "It was a punishment from the Dark Lord! Trying to prevent it would be defying him!"

Repressors decreased the chance that the person bitten would be infected. They weren't used at St. Mungo's because of the possible side effects, but they were sold on the black market for outrageous prices, a price that only a Malfoy could afford. Lily noted that Draco was suddenly very quiet.

"Honey…" This was the boy that was the reason Kat hadn't eaten or gotten out of bed in the past few days. He ripped her heart out and stomped all over it… but only because in his eyes, she had done the very same to him. "Draco, I can help you. You shouldn't be getting sick so much. And that bite mark should have healed a long time ago."

"He didn't take anything!" Lucius snarled. Lily had enough.

"There is no family healer, is there?" She rounded on him and would have taken out her wand, if she saw that he wasn't already scared. "Or at least, he doesn't know about this. You've been letting your son needlessly suffer—"

"No one needs to know." Lucius sneered at her, hiding his fear with judgement. "It is bad enough that our family has been tainted."

Lily wasn't a child. She knew better than to cower to a coward. "Because of you."

Lucius faltered. Her three words had finally taken him down a few pegs. He knew this all along, of course, but to hear it was an entirely different matter. He destroyed his son's life.

And Draco had tried to save himself. Secretly, he tried to remain as pure as his father wanted him to be. Lily felt her heart break at the sight of him, shaking at the fear of disappointing his father yet again.

"Which of the four repressors did you take, Draco?" He glanced at his father. "Voldemort is dead," Lily pressed. "There is _no one_ to fear anymore."

Draco hung his head, making Lily wonder if he believed her or not. "All of them."

* * *

Lily was off with Kat's stupid husband, so James made it his mission to get her out of bed. What did she need that snot nosed brat for anyway? She had her dad.

"I don't want ice cream. Or fast food. Or both." All that could be seen of Kat was messy blonde hair with black roots coming in. The rest of her was stuffed under her blanket. By her stuffy voice, James could tell that she was still crying.

"Why are you so upset?" James poked her foot. "Come on Kat. We all know it's his fault!"

A hand popped out of her blanket and started clawing around for a handkerchief. Once it found its victim, it slid back under the covers. "He thinks I want him to die!"

"Do you?" James winced when she whimpered and covered her head with a pillow. "Then tell him you don't! Unless you want to get divorced and be done with it. Because that's all lying in bed is going to get you."

Kat tightened her grip on the pillow. "Leave me alone."

Although she couldn't see, James held up his hands in surrender and slowly backed away. He shut the door quietly behind him and wondered if he could get her to break her hunger strike with the smell of fresh brownies. Just before he was going to set the house elves to work, he heard the sound of her shower starting and smiled to himself. They were going to be alright.

* * *

After she was done getting dressed and was trying to comb the snarls out of her hair, Kat spotted Hermione awkwardly standing in her doorway. Hermione didn't do awkward. Once they eyes met, her sister walked into her room as regal as a queen. Their relationship was too strained for her not to be formal.

"Mum told me," she said stiffly. What a surprise. "Do you want to go to the papers wit—?"

"No!" With a grunt, Kat yanked at the brush to free it from her hair and tossed it on the ground. "I'm not running to the papers every time I have martial problems! And don't do it for me!"

"This could help Ginny," Hermione pressed. _You mean it could help you,_ Kat thought. "People need to see that marriage has to have equality."

For... Well, it felt like forever, Kat had been listening to Hermione and Ginny preach and preach and preach. She never had the guts to say how she felt until now. The words felt selfish as they came out, but at this point, Kat didn't care. "Marriage equality doesn't matter to me as long as I'm happy."

Hermione didn't look surprised, or angry for that matter. Kat had to give her that. "But _are_ you happy? Even if you do love him, your marriage will always be something you were forced into."

"I can't do anything to change that." _Way to dodge the question,_ Kat thought to herself. Although she could defend herself by saying that Hermione couldn't ask her that when she was at her lowest.

"But you can." Hermione was going into full on speech mode. Here we go… "For so many others. So many women become content with what little they have. They don't have it as bad as people like Ginny and Sirius, so they don't care. So what if they're parents—"

"My marriage is not the government's business, Hermione!" Kat yelled to shut her up.

Hermione smirked in satisfaction. "Exactly."

* * *

"You were scared," Lily said as she gave him a third potion. There was no way to tell if it would work, but she took the fact that he wasn't getting sick as a good sign. The worst part was that him taking all the repressors guaranteed that they wouldn't have worked. Lily knew better than to tell him that though. "And now you aren't going to get sick so much. You'll have an easier time getting about and breathing when the weather's bad."

Draco ran his finger over the rim of the goblet he just drank out of. Like a child who thought he was in trouble, he wouldn't look at her. "I told Mum not to tell the healer."

"She shouldn't have listened to you."

"I'm the heir."

He shifted in his seat. His position in the family meant that his mother should do what he said, but the idea of telling his own mother what to do made him uncomfortable. Lily felt bad for the boy but didn't know what to say. She wanted to bring up Kat, but when she opened her mouth, only medical knowledge poured out.

"Well your mum can breathe easy." Lily forced herself to smile. If James was here, he would be gagging. "The potion you took will cure your sterility."

The joke didn't work, and Draco put his face in his hands. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, your immune system will be a hell of a lot better. And you should have a nice scar by morning. Hopefully your metabolism will slow down, and you'll put some weight on…" Lily tilted her head in his direction to try to force him to look at her. "And Kat can go back to making her quadruplet jokes?"

Draco closed his eyes. "I'm not talking about her with you."

"I guess I'll get your mother then," Lily said dryly. Draco opened his eyes and glared at her. "Kat avoids her problems, Draco. If she reaches out to you in any way, I hope you realize how important that makes you to her."

Draco didn't move when she rose to leave. Lily hoped he'd think about what she said.

* * *

"We don't know any lawyers." For the past few days in their crappy hotel room, Ginny had been poking hole after hole in Daphne's plan. Never mind the fact that it was a lot better than hers, which was live in poverty in the Muggle world, isolated from their friends and families for the rest of their lives. "Well…" She snorted. "Except Percy."

As usual, Daphne instantly proved her wrong. "Purebloods are practically lawyers. They've been studying law since before they knew how to use the crapper. A pureblood could represent us, and we know plenty of those."

"But not plenty that would be willing to represent us," Ginny countered. "Face, Daph. We're screwed."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I think Sirius has just as much to lose as we do."

Ginny felt her mouth run dry. The man who risked everything for her, and she abandoned him. "No."

"If we win—"

"But what if we don't?" Ginny shook her head. "I'm not risking his health for that. I think I've done enough to him in the past few months. And whatever he and Tonks and Remus have going on works for them."

"Well it doesn't work for us." Daphne kicked their rubbish bin, which was already full of take away cartons. "And it shouldn't have to."

Ginny shook her head again. This was one thing she wouldn't give in to. "I'm not doing that to him. I've done enough."

"Hmm…" Daphne threw herself on the couch in their living room/bedroom/kitchen. "I guess that just leaves Percy then."

Ginny rolled her eyes. That'll be the day. "He wants to go into politics. There's no way in hell that he'll so much as look at you right now. You completely trashed his reputation."

Daphne grinned and decided to show off the Slytherin in her. "He'll do it for us. Because if not, Hermione will be so angry with him. She won't want it to get out that they're in love and have been fucking. I heard them once, when I was in hiding in the bathroom to escape your mother's dreadful plans for the wedding."

"And you're just telling me this now?!" Looks like she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Poor Ron…

Daphne shrugged. "I didn't care until it was useful to me."

Percy and Hermione… Ginny knew why Hermione wouldn't want anyone to know. She didn't want to be with anyone until society saw her and her partner as equals. In fact, she preached in opinion letters to the Ministry that she would never _let_ herself fall in love until everyone was equal in the eyes of the law. That would not look good for her. And what did Percy think? Did he care if things got out between him and Hermione?

Ginny knew that Hermione would never forgive her, and perhaps that was the only reason Percy would care. If he didn't want to lose her, he would do it. And she would too. "There's no convincing you otherwise?"

"We deserve better than being pariahs," was all Daphne would say. "I love you and there's nothing wrong with that."

Ginny hesitated. Hermione couldn't help them. She was still in school and simply wouldn't have the time. As cruel as it sounded, she'd rather blackmail Percy than Sirius. "I love you too."

* * *

Narcissa was biting her nails, something a lady didn't do. She reserved such things for when Draco was sick. This wasn't something that she should be worrying about. The house elves informed her that Katherine was in the Manor. This was a good thing.

"They'll be back to bickering like they're twice our age in the morning," Lucius drawled. He was at the desk by their bed, writing letters and going about business as usual. He always pretended that he didn't worry about Draco. Sometimes Narcissa wondered if he was actually pretending.

"Lily tells me you were angry with Draco," she said quietly. Although she wasn't afraid to, she never liked raising her voice to Lucius.

"He could have gotten us all killed," Lucius mumbled, not looking up from his work.

"He was barely sixteen when he was bitten," Narcissa hissed. "And he was bitten because of you."

Lucius threw down his quill. "You think I don't know that?" he yelled. "You don't think that every time I see him that I don't think about what I've done to him? I've turned my son into a disgusting monster!"

"He thinks you don't love him." Narcissa winced. She didn't like saying it and had ignored it for over a year. Lucius tried his best to deny it, but it was the truth. "That's what he sees when you avoid him, Lucius. Not the guilt or the fear. He sees the hate."

Lucius's face hardened. One couldn't be blunt with matters of the heart. It wasn't the Malfoy way. "I love my son."

That wasn't enough. Love is an action, not a word. "Then start acting like it."

* * *

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." Kat's heart was pounding as she flooed into Draco's room. This was her only chance. Her one shot to show him how she felt, and the only way she could say it could, probably would, result in him leaving her.

He merely sneered at her and turned to the half-moon outside his giant window. "I wouldn't accept your apology."

"Well that's good because I'm not sorry," she said flatly. He straightened up, as if seeing how heartless she was for the first time. "Because I finally had the chance to see you as a person, not my rival or my enemy or a Death Eater, but a real person."

"Because you felt sorry for me."

"Because you trapped me! You went on with this horrible deal our mothers made and expected me to fall in love with you, as your prisoner?" Kat felt her eyes fill with tears. "You've made all the wrong choices. And if you weren't sick, I would have never seen you as human."

"I'm not," he said bitterly. "I'm not human and never will be again! You know why I went on with it? Because in my eyes, my life was over. I had nothing and with you… With you I thought I would have the chance to be happy again, to be _me_ again."

"By living a lie?" Kat took a few steps closer to him, and to her surprise, he didn't take a step back. "I don't want the old you, Draco. I-I didn't know him… I'm in love with you now."

 _I don't believe you._ Kat was waiting for it. He served her with divorce papers, for Merlin's sake. His fists clenched and took a few deep breaths. She didn't even notice him advance towards her until his lips were on hers.

This time, he didn't pull away.

 **Thank you Guest, Ern Estine 13624, Vi38, Child of Dreams, Megafan1, Ranma-sama, and Sakura Lisel for reviewing!**

 **Draco and Kat still have a long way to go, but with the last scene, I was trying to get the feels like from that episode of TVD when Elena tells Damon she loves him for the first time. As some of you might be able to see, I watched that scene before writing this. It's from season four, episode 23. It's on Youtube and will come up if you type in Elena loves Damon if you want to watch it.**

 **Child of Dreams: That's what Kat was thinking!**

 **Draco still isn't a "normal" werewolf! The next chapter is going to be sad. :(**


	11. Loss

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **Warning: I don't like that whole "trigger warning" business, but I will say this chapter is called "Loss" for a reason. Grab your tissues if you cry easily. :'(**

Chapter 11 Loss

"Are you sure?" Draco asked breathlessly. Kat was too caught up in the kissing to notice they were suddenly in his bed, tangled in the sheets, until he spoke.

Kat nodded as he slowly pulled her lacy black dress over her head. When she tried to take off his shirt, he stopped her with a kiss that made her head spin. "I don't want you to see," he whispered.

"I don't want you to hide from me anymore," she whispered back as she clumsily tried to undo his buttons. He grabbed her hands and kissed her fingers. "There's no reason."

"I only want you to see the best of me." The desperate fear in his eyes made Kat reach for his belt instead. He sighed with relief and kissed her again, smiling against her lips when she wrapped her legs around his waist to push herself closer to him. "I love you too."

* * *

Katherine shook him awake one January morning. Draco was too tired to note that she never woke up willingly in the _morning._ He opened one eye to see that the sun wasn't up yet. With a groan, he put his face in the pillow.

"I want to go to London!" she whispered excitedly. "C'mon! It's Valentine's Day!"

He didn't pull his face away from the pillow. "I'm not going to that Chinese buffet for breakfast!"

"Draco…" She paused, waiting for him to sit up and ask her what she was so excited about. Like hell he would. "I'm late."

"No," he grumbled. "You're way too fucking early, Katherine." He turned his head to squint at the clock. "It's five in the bloody morning! … And it's not Valentine's Day, you dolt. It's January 14th!"

"Oh." The laughter was clear in her voice. He should have known he had walked into a trap. "Then I guess I'll wait until next month to take the pregnancy test."

Suddenly, he felt wide awake.

* * *

"Why are we sneaking around?" Draco yell whispered. "We should be seeing a healer!"

They were in a Muggle place called a convenience store. Katherine grabbed a box, and Draco had a feeling that the only reason they were here was because she wanted to see his disgust that she would have to urinate on a stick to get the results. The store had just opened, and they were the only customers. The clerk was giving them a disapproving look as she paid.

"Because I don't want anyone to know," she whispered back before grinning at the clerk. Draco recalled Father saying that Muggles reproduced like rabbits and in fact had to do all they could to delay and prevent producing spawn. For effect, she added worriedly, "What are we going to do about school?"

Bitch. Two could play at that game. "I'm leaving you for my other pregnant girlfriend."

The clerk's eyes popped out of her wrinkly head as Katherine threw her head back and laughed. She forced her face to fall and asked as timidly as she could, "Can we use the bathroom?"

Kat sighed with relief when she finally got to pee. "I don't want to find out with everyone. I think they'll go nuts."

"My mother has been waiting for this moment since we got married." Draco's voice was at a higher pitch than usual. Kat wondered if it was because she might be pregnant or if it was that he was in the girl's bathroom. Either way, she found it cute.

She flushed, put a cap on the test, and left the stall to wash her hands. Draco was paler than usual and kept checking over his shoulder. "So no pressure? I don't feel any different. I think this way is much more relaxing."

Draco glanced over his shoulder again. "Speak for yourself." He stared at her. "Well?"

"What?"

"What does it say?"

Kat grinned. "We have to wait ten minutes."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

* * *

"We're going to have a baby!" Katherine was over the moon. Draco was trying to distract himself with homework.

This didn't happen often, so he didn't think much of not using protection very often. The wizarding population had been decline for decades, and he wanted to wait until they graduated and were married for a few years…

"What do think?" She started counting on her fingers. "October?"

He wasn't ready for this. Draco forced himself to smile. She was so happy. "Maybe we'll figure it out when we see a healer. Do you even trust those Muggle sticks?"

Katherine's face fell like he just told her Santa Claus wasn't real. "It said on the box… And I wasn't feeling well Monday when…"

When he was "sick." This transformation was a lot better, actually, thanks to Mrs. Potter. He could actually go to school two days later. That made it easier to pretend he wasn't… one of _them_ , and he didn't want to talk about it. Draco sighed and tossed his quill on their bed. "Let's just get to class. I'm sure your mother will check for you, if you don't want mine to breathing down your neck."

"Yeah…"

* * *

"Well, the "Muggle sticks" can be trusted." Lily smiled as Kat went from pouting like a kicked puppy to as gleeful as a newly fed goldfish. Draco paled. They were so young… "Congratulations."

Kat hopped off her examination table. She had been happier lately, but Lily couldn't remember the last time she saw her daughter _this_ happy. "I can't wait to get new robes and toys and—Oh! Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Slow down there, Kat." Lily glanced at Draco, who didn't seem to trust himself to speak. She'd have to talk to him after he had some time to let things sink in. Narcissa was going to be smothering them for a while. "You're only about three weeks in."

Kat was too happy to register what she was implying. "Mum!"

Lily laughed to herself and waved her wand around Kat to cast the spell. For good measure, she cast a few unnecessary blue sparks. So what if they were young? "It's a boy."

"Elvendork!"

Draco spoke for the first time since they had arrived. "Excuse me?"

Lily shook her head as Kat beamed. Here we go… "Our baby's name! It's unisex though. Just in case Mum goofed."

"I-I am not—No child of mine is going to go through being named _that_."

"There's nothing wrong with a unisex name, Draco."

"I'm not having my son be called Dork for short!"

"Of course not. We'll call him Elf!"

"Absolutely not!"

Lily kissed Kat's cheek and left them alone to bicker. She wondered when James would be informed, so he could join the argument.

* * *

The February full moon. They were going to announce the pregnancy this weekend, after he recovered, but Draco had a feeling that mother was going to instantly know when she came to pick him up because Katherine was finally feeling the symptoms. She spent the whole day in bed and couldn't even hold down soup. Half an hour before Mother was due to arrive, she complained of being stiff and wanted to take a shower in hopes of feeling better.

"Your face is a little red," Draco said worriedly. Right now, he, who was going to transform in an hour, looked better than she did. "… don't make the water too hot…"

Ten minutes went by, and Katherine turned off the shower. He heard her jump out of the tub and then, nothing. Another ten minutes went by. Then another.

"Katherine?" Draco waited, but she didn't reply. "I'm—"

"Don't come in!" The panicked, choked sob in her voice made him do just the opposite and barge in.

She was curled up on the white tile floor next to the tub in a small puddle of her own blood. As more came gushing out, she just sat there, crying quietly and not noticing he was in the room until he put a hand on her dripping wet shoulder.

Her eyes were too filled with tears to see clearly. "It-it went down the drain!"

Oh God…

* * *

"Is she going to be alright?" Draco asked Mrs. Potter for the millionth time in the grand total of five minutes since she flooed over. Mother had just arrived and was too stunned to say a word. The insides of Katherine's legs were completely red, and she was leaving bloody footprints as Lily slowly walked her to the floo.

"I gave her a blood replenishing potion," Mrs. Potter said quietly as she half carried Katherine, who was beginning to resemble an Inferi. "I'm going to have to take her to the hospital. I… I didn't realize it was this bad."

"Draco." Mother didn't even know, and she was already crying. "We-we have to go. The sun's almost down."

Katherine came to life once more. "Don't leave me." Her eyes bulged as it sunk in that he had no choice, and she started shrieking, "DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU CAN'T—"

Mrs. Potter forced her through the floo. There was nothing left of Katherine but her blood.

* * *

"She's alright." Mother was trying to coax him out of the dungeon. The sun had long risen, and Draco couldn't move. "But we really should go to St. Mungo's, Draco. I'll get you a cane and—"

"I didn't want it." Draco wiped his eyes. He didn't deserve to cry. "I didn't tell her, but I thought it was too soon, and I wished she wasn't…"

Mother rushed down the stairs and wrapped her arms around him. "Shh... Everyone has doubts, Draco."

"It's my fault!"

"No it isn't." As if he were a baby himself, Mother held him tightly while he cried in her arms. He really was a monster.

* * *

She had hemorrhaged and was still bleeding, although now it was like a really heavy period. Mum wasn't letting her leave the hospital until she stopped. Kat didn't care.

"Hey Kitty Kat!" Dad smiled like nothing was wrong. She turned away from him. "Wanna bust out of here and catch a movie? Mum won't even notice we're gone."

"You hate the Muggle world." Kat wished she had told the mediwitch that she didn't want visitors.

"Yeah…" Dad's face fell ,and he sat next to her bed. "It—"

"I don't want to hear that it happens all the time." She was tired of the healers, the vague explanations, everything, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep. "Leave me alone, Dad."

"I was going to say it's going to get better." _You don't know that,_ Kat wanted to say, but she was too tired to argue, too tired to repeat to herself that this couldn't be happening. "One day…"

"I don't want another baby." Kat's voice broke as she tried to take her anger out on Dad. That was what the mediwitches thought would make her feel better. _In a month, you can start trying again, deary._ She wanted _this_ baby.

"I know." Dad folded his hands and looked at his feet. His right knee was bouncing up and down from the nerves. "I just want you to feel better, Kat."

"I don't _want_ to feel better." Why would she? Her baby was dead.

* * *

When Hermione slipped into her room, Kat pretended to be asleep. She was the last person she wanted to see right now. In fact, even though it was well past noon, the only person she wanted to see wasn't here. She tried to keep telling herself that he was sick and possibly couldn't.

"I'm so sorry, Kat." There was no explanations, no statistics. Kat opened her eyes to see that there wasn't a book in sight. Just Hermione. For once, it was just Hermione. "I'm so sorry."

Her face screwed with the effort not to cry. "They said-they said that it's probably ou-out in the ocean. They won't looking in-in th-the pipes!"

Hermione pulled her into a hug, and Kat cried hysterically in her arms for what felt like hours. She didn't try to talk to her or get her to stop crying like Mum and Dad did. There was no conversation about the past or where they stood in the future. Not a word was spoken.

When Hermione let go, Kat could finally sleep.

* * *

Kat woke to find Draco's fingers laced with hers. His face was gaunt, his eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes didn't even match. He tensed when she looked at him.

He wanted to release his guilt. Kat knew he wasn't ready, and maybe she wasn't either, but the love she felt for that baby was too intense for her to care. She didn't want to hear whatever he had to say.

"I love you," he said hoarsely. Somehow, the blank, dead look she gave him told him that she knew how he felt. "I was scared, but I didn't want…"

"The healers keep saying that I'm going to be fine." Kat didn't know what to say. She didn't want to say anything either and had no idea why she was flatly repeating their lies.

Draco knew better too. "I've lost friends and family, but I don't think I've ever felt this… this type of sadness before."

Kat shrugged. She didn't want to put her feelings into words like he did. Words didn't matter. Actions didn't either. There was nothing they could say or do to make things right.

* * *

"I think I'm pregnant." It was late May, and they were taking a break from studying for finals. The weather was finally nice, so they were taking a walk by the Black Lake. Draco stopped at her words. "I was sick this morning. The taste of my toothpaste…"

They started having sex again in March. Katherine cried afterwards, and Draco felt sick from gaining pleasure from it. After that, the act felt more like an effort to get close to her, to try to get rid of the perpetual sadness in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Draco held his breath when she shrugged sadly. She still wasn't over the miscarriage, obviously. He wasn't sure if she ever would be, but if they had a baby… _If._ What if _it_ happened again? "When's the last time you…?"

"March." Her eyes were flat. She didn't want to get her hopes up. "I'm too afraid to…" She swallowed, trying not to cry. "I've been feeling sick this whole time, but… I'm scared."

"We'll get through it." Draco was sure she was pregnant again but couldn't allow himself to have doubts and pushed any feelings he had to the back of his mind. As long as she was happy again, he didn't care if they had a hundred children before thirty.

* * *

"Everything's perfect so far!" Lily forced herself to sound cheerful. Kat had this dead, depressed look about her. "So make sure you get plenty of rest and—"

"I have a bad feeling." For months, Kat had been grieving, and although she had been through it herself, she didn't know what to say. Perhaps that was why. She knew nothing made it better.

"Worrying isn't going to change anything," Lily said softly. "Physically, you're in perfect health. I could run some genetic tests, but that could endanger the fetus."

"But there's nothing you can see now." There was a tinge of hope in Kat's voice. Lily was scared to feed it. Maybe she should have talked to Kat about using birth control… At least until the wound wasn't so fresh.

"No." Lily's heart broke when Kat smiled for the first time in ages.

* * *

"We're having another baby!"

Draco felt his throat tense up when Katherine said "another" baby. They never talked about the "other" baby, and he hadn't allowed himself to cry since that day. Father was silent. Mr. Potter was terrified, and Mrs. Potter was pretending not to be. Mother was the only one who could gush.

"Is that why you're starting to get fat?" Pansy yelled over Mother's shrieks of joy. At twelve weeks, Katherine was just starting to show. She had gotten that life back in her. Draco suddenly felt drained.

"Yes!" Katherine declared proudly. _Another baby._ Mother threw her arms around her. _Another baby._ Draco didn't move a muscle as the tears slid down his cheeks. "And nothing to do with the ice cream I've eaten for breakfast for the past month!"

What would the other baby have been like? They wouldn't have _this_ baby if it wasn't for losing the other. Would he always think of that when he saw oldest child? Oldest _living_ child that is.

"Excuse me." Draco turned away when Katherine's face fell, and she rose to follow him. "I need to be alone."

* * *

Ever since she found out about his lycanthropy, Katherine usually walked with Draco to the dungeons on the full moon. He wouldn't let her go any further than the entrance, even with Wolfsbane. Narcissa knew that he didn't want her to see him _like that_ , but she thought it was rather silly.

Anyway, this time Katherine was feeling rather off, so after dropping Draco off, she hurried upstairs to check on her. Draco wouldn't want her sick by herself because he was indisposed of.

"Katherine, do you want me to call your mother? We could have a ladies' nigh…" Narcissa choked on a gasp. Katherine was gripping the bannister and her face was snow white, a stark contrast to the bright red staining her night gown. Bile rose into her throat.

Narcissa took a step forward. "Darling, I'm going to take you to St. Mungo's," she said slowly. The poor girl clenched her teeth and held in a scream when Narcissa put her arms around her shoulders. "Everything is going to be—"

"I'M NOT GOING!" She struggled at Narcissa's grasp, but quickly collapsed into her arms and started crying hysterically. "It didn't come out! They're going to take it out!"

Narcissa felt like the worst person in the world for stunning her.

* * *

The smell hit his nose before Draco realized something was up. Fresh bleach. He forced his eyes open instead of blindly hobbling into bed like he usually did. "Where's Katherine?"

Mother didn't answer until they were at his bed. Draco forced himself to focus, as if she would reappear out of nowhere. The sheets were new, and Father was there instead. Father was never there.

"Is she with her mother?" Draco said weakly, even though he already knew the answer. Again, silence. _"Where is she?"_

"You can see her but…" Mother swallowed back a sob. "I… The healers had to perform… There was no heartbeat, Draco…"

Father pulled Mother into a hug. They loved each other fiercely, but Draco rarely saw them show affection for each other. "She has no reason to be angry with you, Cissa. You saved her from developing an infection and—"

"The baby died?" Draco felt like he said it too casually, like he was talking about the weather. He suddenly wanted to vomit.

Father glared at him when Mother burst into tears. Then, surprisingly, he softened. "Katherine has a terrible fever, but we were told before we left to retrieve you that it was starting to dissipate."

"Why does this keep happening?" Draco whispered, almost to himself. Mother tensed.

"We don't know," Father said. Draco was too devastated to realize that he was lying.

* * *

Kat felt nothing. Either she was so sad that she couldn't stop crying, or she felt nothing at all. She was getting too tired to even cry.

Mrs. Malfoy was skittish around her. In the emergency room, Kat came too and remembered in her feverish state getting so nasty with her mother-in-law that the woman started crying hysterically herself. Kat pretended she didn't remember.

Draco hardly ever left her side and held her close to him as often as possible. Kat wanted to at least be able to act like it brought her comfort. She leaned into his touch but couldn't bring herself to relax or even look at him. This had to be her fault.

"There's something wrong with me, isn't there?" Kat said coldly when she got home from the hospital. Mum and Mrs. Malfoy sat them down in the parlor. Last time, they sent her straight to bed and let her live off ice cream for a week.

"No." Mum wouldn't look at her. It had to be a lie. "Actually…"

"Don't do this." Mrs. Malfoy was begging.

"They have the right to know." Mum folded her hands and looked at her lap, as if she were praying. "An autopsy was performed. Well, an autopsy was going to be performed."

"Why wasn't there?" Draco demanded. Kat wondered if he was going to sound so angry when he found out it was her fault.

"What was removed…" Mum gulped. "Because of the time of death…" Mrs. Malfoy started crying. "The fetus did not resemble a human fetus at twelve weeks gestation. It-it almost-it almost resembled a wolf fetus."

 **Thank you Ern Estine 13624, Guest, Child of Dreams, and Vi38!**

 **Did I make anyone cry? Next up, Draco and Neville have a heart to heart,** _ **Twilight**_ **style. ;)**


	12. Stupid

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **So I'm posting a short chapter to respond to a guest review. Criticism doesn't make me melt, so feel free to do so with your account if you have one. Because then I'll know if you get my response, and I am willing to have a discussion about how I can improve. A lot of the guest reviews that I get that are criticism I agree with at least parts of them. It hurts sometimes when I read it, but I get over it and am willing to learn.**

Chapter 12 Stupid

"What do you mean?" Kat said dumbly as Draco went rigid. There was no way she could carry an animal inside… Oh. That was exactly the problem. She was human. She couldn't carry something that wasn't, even for a few hours.

"I'm going to be sick."

Kat flinched as Draco jumped out of his seat. She thought he was going to run off, but he merely started pacing. His mother reached out for him, but he ignored her and yanked at his hair. He liked to pretend that he wasn't a werewolf. Kat didn't think she ever even dared use the word around him since she found out.

"There's more," Mum said weakly.

"Lily," Mrs. Malfoy snapped. "That's enough."

"This doesn't happen," Mum ploughed on. She liked to rip the band aid off instead of tear it off slowly. "There's no medical history of it. I had to assure Remus a thousand times when he and Tonks married. So my theory is that this is the result of the repressors that Draco took reacting with some of the potions I gave him to try to reverse the affects."

"Repressors?" Kat knew what repressors were and barely listened to Mum's explanation. There were extremely dangerous, and some healers said that they didn't even work, that they were an expensive way of slowly killing one's self. Draco was willing to take the risk. "You never told me. Why—?"

"He didn't know this was going to happen, Katherine!" Mrs. Malfoy yelled. Draco glared at her, attempting to shield him as always. "Why would he?"

"Because he's my husband," Kat said slowly. He still wouldn't let her see his newly healed scar. He wouldn't acknowledge Remus at dinner parties, who only wanted to help. _I only want you to see the best of me._ Why did she accept it when he said that? She turned to Draco. "I wouldn't have been mad—"

"I don't want you to know anything about that side of me," Draco said quietly. His back was to her. "It's not me. Or at least, I thought it wasn't."

But it was. Being a werewolf changed him. Kat thought that it humbled him, made him more sympathetic to the hardships of others, but it also made him desperate and full of self-hate. She was beginning to wonder. Did she really know her husband?

* * *

"They don't know what they're talking about," Katherine said. Draco thought she would hate him, and for a few days, she kept her distance, but then she went into full on denial. They were waiting at St. Mungo's to receive their tiny vial of ashes, the ashes of the child he had killed. "Mum thinks she knows everything. If that's the case, why didn't it happen at eight weeks like last time?"

"You had a fever at eight weeks too," Draco said numbly. "And at four you were practically glued to the toilet. Face it Katherine—"

"It's not true." Katherine clenched her fists, and a few tears dropped onto her knuckles. "We're going to have a beautiful baby. I just need to let my insides recover. They were probably all mangled from the last time, so this baby didn't stand a chance and was all disfigured and they thou—"

"THIS IS MY FAULT!" Draco felt himself start to hyperventilate as people started to stare. A healer stood a few steps away from them, holding a tiny silver vial. Their baby was too small for an urn.

"Thank you." Katherine took the vial and stuffed it in her pocket. She wouldn't look at him as she headed for the floo. He didn't let her think that it was fixable.

* * *

"They're very social creatures," Pansy explained. Mum was off in St. Mungo's lab, and since Kat was loafing around doing nothing, she found herself roped into Mum's weekly time with Pansy and her pygmy puff. She was tired of staring at the wall and waiting for Draco to fall asleep so she could cry. "So I think I should get another, for when I'm busy with my art."

"Uhuh." She'd pretend to play chaperone, take a nap (Pansy always went to WWW before it opened), and hopefully be done with it by lunch. "I'll be…" She gestured weakly to an orange armchair. "…over there."

Pansy ignored her, so Kat shrugged and threw herself in the chair. Fred waltzed in soon after. Or at least, Kat assumed it was Fred. For all she knew, it was George wearing the Fred Weasley jumper. The twins were evil like that.

"There's my favorite customer!" Fred laughed when Pansy snorted. "Alright, fine. Sirius is my favorite customer. _But_ you'd rise up in the ranks if you bought four hundred dungbombs every month too."

"So you're still servicing ingrates," Pansy drawled, reminding Kat of Draco. A wave of sadness rolled over her. The old Draco, that is.

"No. I told you. Ron doesn't shop here after the Puking Pasties incident." Fred glanced at the clock as Pansy headed for the pygmy puffs. "You know, you don't have to come in so early. My other customers don't bite."

Pansy held his gaze for a long moment before turning back to the cages. "I don't mind. Do you?"

Fred hesitated, but something about his nervous teetering told Kat he was afraid that any pressure would stop her from coming back. Fred didn't get nervous. "No. Georgie's snores wake me up early anyway."

"That's what you get for sharing that matchbox of an apartment with a gorilla."

"A _handsome_ gorilla," Fred pressed.

Kat let herself fade into the background as she watched Pansy and Fred. They weren't together, but she could tell that they were more than just friends. They were in this in between stage and were in no rush to slap a label on whatever it was they had.

As she watched them tease each other, Kat realized that she didn't really have any of those moments with Draco. Sure, she had a few months' worth, but it didn't seem like enough. They had known each other for years, but most of those years were full of rivalry, hatred, and maybe even a twinge of fear.

When she thought Draco was dying, she felt like she had to press the fast forward button on her life for him, since his life was going to end much sooner. When she learned that he wasn't dying, she never took the time press play and go to a normal speed.

Kat started biting her nails as she watched Pansy say something that made Fred pretend to blush and giggle like a school girl. She rolled her eyes and tried not to smile. The simple banter made Kat ask herself, what was she missing out on?

* * *

Finals were finally over, and Kat wanted to talk to Draco about, well, what she wanted. Or what she thought she wanted. She didn't know and figured that at the very least, he would see that he was just as lost as she was. Then, they could take some time to let their heads stop spinning.

He was leaving Arthimancy while she was leaving her Muggle Studies final. Kat hesitated for the briefest of moments. It would be too easy to let things happen how she wanted. It wasn't like they could have children right now anyway.

"Fuck." That hesitation proved not to be good for poor Neville. The last thing she wanted was Draco clobbering him. Neville had nothing to do with this, but fighting with him would be a lot easier for Draco than feeling guilty.

Kat quickly caught up to them, but froze when she heard Draco talking to Neville like a civilized human being. As quickly and quietly as she could, Kat took out her wand and hid behind the corner of the hall as she Disillusioned herself.

"I need your help." Draco's voice was thick with embarrassment. "Katherine and I… She's had two miscarriages, because of me. Because of… _genetics._ "

Neville's eyes bulged. "I… Is she…?" He looked at his feet, unable to find the words. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"She loves you." Draco shook slightly at the thought. "She'll always love you. And I was wondering… If you help us…"

Even though Kat didn't think it was possible, Neville's eyes became wider. Kat was standing behind them like a Disillusioned idiot with her mouth hanging open. He wanted Neville to get her up the duff?!

Although he didn't know it, Kat and Neville had matching _what the fuck_ expressions as Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited. Did he really think Neville would agree to this? Better yet did he think _she_ would agree to this?!

Finally, Neville found his voice, and he didn't say, _Are you bloody stupid?!_ like she wanted him to. "No," he said firmly. "You took the love of my life. And now you want to take my children too? Are you mad?"

"It's not…" Draco tensed. "It's not like that. I just want her to be happy. I would adopt—"

"I've always helped people." Neville clenched his fists. "But this is where I draw the line! I'm not a fucking doormat!" His eyes flitted in Kat's direction. "And maybe you should ask Kat. Maybe she should ask you some things too. Merlin forbid the two of you talk to each other instead of hiding and sneaking shitty solutions to your problems! Grow up!"

Neville stormed off and almost bumped Kat's shoulder as he went. But then he stopped and moved away from her. He was kind even when he was angry.

Draco walked away before Kat had the courage to take off the charm and reveal herself, say what had been on her mind for the past few days. She didn't want a baby anymore.

* * *

Kat stared at herself in the mirror as they got ready for graduation. She still hadn't told Draco and felt very ugly because of it. To make matters worse, he thought she was thinking about the opposite of what she wanted right now.

"You'd be six months gone if it wasn't for…" He sighed and turned away from her, straightening his tie without the aid of the mirror.

"I was just thinking…" Kat bit her lip. "About Pansy," she lied. "I wish she could've graduated with us. She's doing a lot better—"

"This month," Draco said bitterly. "And you don't have to lie. You'd be so happy—"

"What's wrong with being happy anyway?" Kat thinned her lips to keep her bottom one from trembling. That was another issue. She felt like she was being cold and heartless for wanting to move on, for wanting to forget.

Draco frowned. "Nothing."

"I was thinking…" Kat started playing with her hair, which she recently dyed back to black. "Do you want to go on vacation next week? Puerto Rico?"

Draco's frown only deepened. "A vacation isn't going to change…" He cleared his throat. "We can't start trying again. I think your mother is trying to find a potion that could help us."

Kat raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know the only thing you could do in Puerto Rico was have unprotected sex," she joked. Draco said nothing. "Don't you want to celebrate? We're finally free of homework and detention and—"

"I'd rather wait for your mum." Draco grabbed his cloak and started to leave. If there actually was a "genetic issue," Kat knew he wouldn't be doing this. He wanted to go back to feeling human and because of what happened, having a healthy baby would allow him to go back to pretending he wasn't a werewolf. But she didn't want him to pretend around her anymore. She wanted him to accept himself for who he was.

* * *

"You've gone back to your apprenticeship with Father." Draco was in the Manor's library when Kat went to find him for dinner. It was a week after they graduated, and Kat was tired of lazing about the house thinking of what could have been. She wanted some time where she wasn't thinking about all that happened during their last half of the school year.

Kat frowned at the pile of the books that was surrounding him. They were all about lycanthropy, the subject he used to avoid like the plague. "Yeah."

He rubbed at his eyes, telling Kat that he had been there all day. "Tell Mother I'll eat later."

"I heard you talking to Neville." As callous as it was, Kat couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to move on, and because he saw what happened as his fault, he refused. "I don't want a baby right now."

Draco tensed and dragged his hands away from his face, as if looking at her was a chore. "Yes you do."

"The first time, it was an accident." Kat took a deep breath and tried her best to keep it together. "Sort of. We were reckless. But I feel like if we keep trying, it's like we're trying to cover up what happened. I'm not ready, and I wasn't ready before. I just _wanted_ it. I love babies and the idea of having a family but…"

"My conversation with Longbottom was out of guilt." Draco rose from the sofa and started to leave, but then stopped himself and turned to face her. "I guess it was wrong, but don't lie to me out of pity."

"We got married, started being cordial towards each other, had sex, got pregnant, and had two miscarriages all in the span of six months." Kat frowned, realizing for the first time how insane that sounded. "You just want to make it up to me."

"Of course I want to _make it up to you,_ " Draco snapped. "You had two miscarriages because of me!"

Kat took a deep breath. She wished they were like the people in the Muggle sitcoms, who went to the movies and fought over silly things like where they were going out to eat. "Then be my husband. Step away from—"

"I can't!" he yelled. "It's who I am! I'm a _fucking_ werewolf, Katherine! And it's ruining our lives!"

Maybe she had to step away to get him back. He still wouldn't let her see his scar. She heard Mr. Malfoy complaining that Draco warded off the dungeons so _he,_ the head of the house, couldn't even get in.

"It's not." _Be brave,_ she told herself. _You can do this._ "You are. I'm going to keep going to work. I'm going to help out Ginny and Hermione more. Hell, I'm even going to spend more time with Pansy. And when you're ready to join the living, I'll be in my room across the hall."

She walked away slowly, hoping he'd stop her. All he did was swear and go back to his books.

 **Thank you Ern Estine 13624, Disappointed, and Child of Dreams for reviewing!**

 **Disappointed: I never said they were going to have a baby. In fact, in my plans for this story, they don't until they're in their mid-twenties. The miscarriages make Draco hit rock bottom and eventually were meant to make him start accepting that he is a werewolf. Because of the miscarriages, he can't pretend that he isn't one. I wish you had chosen to review with an account, because I don't know if you're reading this anymore. I will say, your review helped me think of how to illustrate Kat's change of heart, but I disagree with you saying that I went over the top with their grief. I think losing a pregnancy is one of the hardest things people go through. They needed some time to heal and deal with it and before they could, it happened again. I do agree that it is too soon for them, but that's life sometimes, and I wasn't planning that for them. I will admit that I tend to rush when I get excited for upcoming scenes, but I wish you would have talked to me about it before getting angry and maybe giving up on the story. I take criticism well, whether I agree or not, and would have been open to talking to you about it and explaining why I wrote what I did.**

 **Oh, and I like Lifetime, thank you very much. ;)** _ **Drop Dead Diva**_ **is such a cute show.**


	13. Interlude: Flashback 1988

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **This chapter is a bit pointless, but I wanted to let you know that I'm done being a brat. ;) I didn't want to post an author's note as a chapter, so I figured I'd give you a glimpse of Draco and Kat's childhood. :)**

Chapter 13 Interlude: Flashback 1988

"Girls can't play Quidditch." He had a pointy face like a rodent. Kat hated him.

Quidditch Camp was for ages eight and up. Mum had to argue to get her a spot, and Ginny was too young to be enrolled. She was the only girl here.

The teacher was still droning on about the rules, as if they didn't already know. Kat just wanted to play, and this-this _creature_ was trying to say that she couldn't. His two friends, who were twice her size, laughed trollishly. Ron puffed out his chest, but it was too late. Kat's fist was already in the mud.

"Eat worm poop!"

* * *

James grinned as he listened to the camp counselor complain about Kat. His sweet little Marauder was growing up. "I'll be right there! Let me just find the camera…"

"But sir—"

James hung up the floo to firecall Sirius. "Padfoot! Drop what you're doing! Kat's in solitary confinement!"

Within moments, Sirius was strolling through the floo. His face was beaming with pride. "Already? What'd she do? Curse? Steal the snitch out of the Seeker's hands?"

"Even better." James grabbed a fist full of floo powder. Sirius followed him into the fireplace. "She made Malfoy's boy have a tantrum."

"They grow up so fast!"

* * *

As predicted, Malfoy was red in the face and those who appeared to be the sons of his father's friends looked embarrassed to be seen with him. His silver and green robes, were had to be tailored and brand new, were covered in mud. There were still flecks of it in his white blonde hair too.

Two pops and the good ole Malfoys had arrived. From the look on Narcissa's face, one would think Kat had thrown razor sharp rocks at her son's face instead of mud. Lucius had his typical _I wish I was anywhere else but here_ expression as his wife rushed over to Draco.

Before she could sweep her son into her arms, Draco reached into the mud and flung a fist full in Kat's face. Even though she had just done the same to him, the look on her face was priceless.

James caught Kat just as she lunged at him and tucked the little criminal under his arms. "Oh well. Better luck next time! We'll see you during the next session, Mr. Lockhart."

The flamboyant man started stuttering at the thought. "A-a-absolutely not! I never want to see that little monster again!"

James rolled her eyes as Kat kicked her feet and called Draco a few creative names. The "booger eating fart sniffer" turned pink. He wanted to say that he wouldn't be saying that if they were just two boys fighting in the mud, but he had a feeling that Lockhart couldn't handle any children that weren't star struck by him.

Oh well. James chuckled as Narcissa covered Draco's ears. Lockhart was probably going to hear her complaints for a good hour. "Right. See you in July!"

"I-I…"

There was a flash as Sirius took a picture. Kat shrieked in James's arms. He couldn't wait until July.

* * *

"James!" For some reason, Lily didn't think that the story was as funny as he did. Kat was pouting at the dinner table at being denied dessert. With a melodramatic groan, she stomped off. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get them to allow her to play?"

"There's always next time." James waved her off like it was nothing. "Hopefully Draco won't be there. It's bad enough I'll have to go to their wedding."

Slowly, Lily's features filled with disgust. Her eyes narrowed. Her nose wrinkled. Her lips curled. "And-That's… That's ridiculous, James! The point is that she proved them right! That she couldn't handle Quidditch! She ruined her and any other girl's chances for Merlin knows how long! And you and Sirius stuff her full of ice cream for lunch!"

James snorted, not believing her until her disgust turn into sadness. "They'll let her back in. Because believe it or not, Padfoot and I can be very annoying until we get what we want."

Lily rolled her eyes, but for once, didn't seem bothered with him and Sirius being gits. "And make sure that boy isn't in her group. I don't like him. Talking to her like that! Did he expect her to just take it?"

"You were just lecturing her!" James threw his hands in the air when Lily glared at him. "Don't give me that violence isn't the answer crap! It was mud."

"She knows better," Lily muttered. "And don't tease her about the boy fancying her. I don't like that boys pick on girls they fancy nonsense."

"They're getting married." James smiled at Lily until she returned one. "You don't think that would be a little funny, Lily Flower?"

"No. His parents make my skin crawl." She tried to hide her smile by taking a sip of wine. "I bet Narcissa still dresses him."

"You mean makes the house elves dress him." James wondered what Draco's parents were doing now. No doubt Narcissa was still fussing over the boy. "But I'm telling you, Lils. A brick wall is going to have to be built between them at Hogwarts. With a rabid grim on Malfoy's side."

Lily tutted in annoyance and eventually let the subject drop. James didn't have time to tease her further. He and Padfoot had to make plans for torturing Lockhart for the rest of the summer.

* * *

Narcissa stared at herself in the mirror. Her house elf had been brushing her hair for nearly an hour. She wouldn't stop until her mistress told her to, but Narcissa's thoughts were elsewhere. What if…?

"Lucius?" Narcissa gave the house elf a look, causing her to scurry away.

Her husband looked up from the book he was reading. "Yes, darling?"

"You don't think…" Narcissa tried to laugh it off, like she was joking. But Draco had only been acquainted with Katherine Potter for a few moments, and he already couldn't stop talking about her. "What if Draco were… to fall for a-a woman who isn't a pureblood?"

Lucius snorted like he always did when he thought she was being overprotective or worrying over nonsense. "He knows better. Potter is the first girl, if she can be called one, to disrespect him. He's eight, Cissa. Not getting dessert before dinner puts him in a huff for hours. He'll get over it."

"I don't want to lose him," Narcissa said worriedly. "I could handle losing Andromeda, but not Draco. I couldn't possibly abandon him.

"Cissa." Lucius rolled his eyes like he thought she was being silly but rose from his seat to pull her into a hug anyway. "He grew up with the right sort of family—"

"Like James Potter?" Narcissa asked stiffly.

"With Euphemia as a mother?" Lucius hugged her tighter. "She took Evans in to mentor on the weekends and look what happened! Fleamont should have divorced her."

Narcissa didn't say anything. Lucius didn't understand how fortunate they were to have found each other and to have pureblood. Draco might not be so fortunate. And no matter what, Narcissa knew she wouldn't turn her back on him. Would Lucius?

* * *

James often wondered if Kat and Draco would recognize each other when they left for Hogwarts for the first time. They had seen each other in passing at Hogsmeade or professional Quidditch games, but never really interacted again. Kat would give him the stink eye or stick out her tongue. Draco would look away, but not before turning pink or becoming mildly disgusted. Narcissa was always his shield.

So there they were, getting ready to leave. James vaguely wondered if Dumbledore would ignore a stag prancing around the Great Hall. He already said no to Kat having a pet dog. Draco was saying goodbye to his mother when Kat spotted him. Lily didn't notice at first. Hermione was handing her a booklist.

"Do you have any dungbombs?" Kat whispered to Ron.

"Did somebody say _dungbombs?_ " Fred asked loudly as he literally jumped into their conversation. Without hesitation, he handed Kat one just as Lily was turning to see what Fred was talking about.

"Eat worm poop!"

Lily gaped as the dungbomb when straight into Draco's face. Narcissa shrieked, but James barely noticed. He could already hear the wedding bells ringing.

 **So… Last time I let my temper get the best of me. I don't know what came over me. I guess it's because I wasn't sure about a lot of what I wrote for this story and the last two chapters were one of the few parts I was confident in posting. Still, I shouldn't have posted when angry. Stuff like that usually doesn't bother me, so I decided it was best for me to step away from this for a little while. Oh well…**

 **A real chapter will be up next week. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't giving up on this story. I'm thinking maybe four or five more chapters? Maybe more, who knows?**

 **Tomorrow I want to post on** _ **Katherine the Great**_ **one of the many ideas I have next for Draco and Kat. I have four. One of them is very big, so I might keep that a secret until I decide if I want to do it. One of them will (hopefully) be posted tomorrow. The other is chapter 16 in** _ **Katherine the Great**_ **called "Remember Me?" The final one is somewhat similar. So check that out. Maybe I'll put up a poll in a couple weeks.**

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, Guest, Vi38, Child of Dreams, amata0221, and WilheminaGrubblyPlank!**

 **amata0221: That will happen next chapter!**


	14. Rock Bottom

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 14 Rock Bottom

Remus Lupin was at the dinner table. That almost struck Draco as much as the fact that Father wasn't present. He refused to have a meal with a werewolf. Draco was tempted to do the same.

Mother wasn't having it, and before he could flee, she grabbed him by his shoulders and steered him to his seat. Katherine smiled weakly and started eating. Well, she started pushing around her food to make it look like she was eating. She was thinner than usual, and Draco wondered if she was still grieving but didn't want him to know. Probably.

"Remus has been worried ever since…" Mother couldn't even finish it.

"You told him?" It was easier to be angry with her than face Lupin.

"I did." Katherine's eyes shined. "I miss you."

"I'm right here," he snapped.

"Katherine!" Mother cried softly as Katherine rose from her seat. She waited for Draco to say something, that he didn't mean it, but he merely rolled his eyes. She set him up and expected him to just sit there and take it! With an angry huff, Katherine left. Mother glared at him and followed her.

Lupin raised his eyebrows, and Draco waited for the fatherly lecture. Instead, he punished him in a different way. "You're a werewolf."

Draco stared. He didn't even want to confirm it with a rude retort like _And?_ He sneered at the man. "Where's your wife, Lupin? Off with one of her lovers?"

"Perhaps," Lupin said calmly, making Draco jump in surprise. "You can't say it, can you?" Draco decided to ignore him and dig into his food. He heard Mother set up wards as she left, so he knew he wouldn't be leaving any time soon. "And I don't mean in anger or moments of self-disgust. I'll let you leave if you can say it, say it as if you were saying you have blonde hair."

"Can you?" Draco challenged. The man left his job at Hogwarts when everyone found out. If it wasn't the pot calling the kettle black.

"Not until recently," Lupin admitted. "Until I had Teddy."

As soon as the words left Lupin's mouth, the man paled. Draco felt rage boil inside him. "Unfortunately, I am not blessed with such a luxury."

Draco pointed his wand at the nearest doorframe so roughly that it cracked that surrounding walls as he broke down the wards. Lupin didn't go after him as he stomped off.

* * *

 _February_

 _There were nearly a hundred people there, which was a lot for the wizarding world. Hermione knew half of them wanted to get back at the purebloods for the War, but she didn't care. They were_ _ **here**_ _, protesting at an event_ _ **she**_ _organized._

 _They were screaming, making demands for equality, holding signs that said FREEDOM!, and there was no fighting. The Ministry lobby was packed with reporters as they spread their message, and Hermione was in front of it all._

 _"You don't have a permit," a mousey man informed her. He reminded her of Percy before he properly grew up. "You d-do not have permission to protest here."_

 _Hermione pointed her wand at her neck to amplify her voice. "WE ARE_ _ **NOT**_ _BACKING DOWN!"_

 _The crowd went wild. Hermione was put in handcuffs._

 _She was only in a Ministry holding cell for a few hours until Mum bailed her out. That wasn't part of the plan._

 _"Mum!" she hissed as they left. "I have a press conference for when I'm released in the morning!"_

 _Mum looked awful, and Hermione suddenly noticed that she was covered in blood. "Your sister's in the hospital."_

 _Hermione forgot about all of her plans. Kat needed her._

"You're sure?" Hermione said. At first, she was a little jealous that Percy got to handle Daphne and Ginny's case. Then he asked her to be second chair. They made love in his office whenever they made a breakthrough.

Kat sighed. "I can't be in that house anymore." Only she would think of Malfoy Manor as a house. "Draco looks like death warmed over, and the last thing I want to be reminded of is death right now."

Hermione glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "But if you testify, you'll break his heart. Look, I hate Malfoy. I think part of me always will, but… If you're happy with him, I don't want you to ruin it."

Kat pursed her lips, and for a moment, Hermione thought she was going to cry. Unfortunately, she was so tired of crying that she wouldn't let herself anymore. "I think, if he's listening, it'll prove to him how much I love him."

Percy wouldn't like it if she let an opportunity like this escape. They were fighting to have everyone equal in the eyes of the law, but after everything, Hermione was reluctant to risk her sister for anything. "If you're sure…"

Kat nodded. "I love my husband."

* * *

Although she acted like she was with Hermione, Kat wasn't sure about this, but she knew if she didn't that she would never have to courage to say it. Then, she and Draco would be in limbo for who knew how long. She wanted to move on. This first year was tough, but that didn't mean the rest of their lives had to be.

Draco was here but to support Daphne since her family didn't show up. Astoria wasn't allowed. He didn't even notice she was here until she sat down. At least a hundred pairs of eyes were on her, but it was his that were making her sweat.

"Why are you here, Ms. Potter?" the Ministry's attorney asked dryly. He had a strange nose that reminded Kat of a toucan's beak. "Your marriage seems to be going well."

If only he knew… He circled her like a shark. Kat watched him for a moment before speaking. "Better than I thought it would be," she joked. No one laughed, and it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Someone coughed awkwardly. "But I think it would be better if there wasn't a marriage contract."

"Do you love your husband?" the man asked. What was his name again? Kat nodded while she tried to think of it. "Then I don't see the problem."

He started to walk away, and Kat was so embarrassed that she almost left it at that. She couldn't move. She was starting to choke. "But I don't think he knows that I do. I'm afraid that he'll never believe me."

The attorney stopped and turned around reluctantly. "And that's the Ministry's fault?"

His tone implied that it was hers. Kat looked at her hands, which she was twisting in her lap. In a way, it _was_ her fault. "I think that if we weren't forced into marriage, we would've had more time—"

"But your mother arranged the contract," the attorney pressed. "The Ministry does not force anyone to make them."

"But I couldn't say no." Kat kept her eyes on Draco, silently screaming at him not to leave. "I feel like we started off bad, and I'm worried he thinks I don't love him when I do. Because our marriage wasn't based on love. It was based on a deal. One that we didn't even make."

"You wouldn't be with him if it wasn't for the contract would you?" the attorney asked. "The man you love so much? So much so that you want to embarrass him in front of the entire country?"

"I'm not trying to embarrass him!" Kat yelled. "I want him to know that I love him because he won't listen to me! Yes, he would have to have the courage to let me know how he feels but… but what if thinks I don't love him? He won't _talk_ to me. But I'm afraid he'll always have doubts, that I'm there because I have to be. We can't move past _anything_ if there's always doubt…"

Kat gave up when Draco got up and left. She answered the rest of the little maggot's questions robotically. Ever since that night that Remus came over, she couldn't stop thinking about how Draco thought she felt about him. He needed to know that she loved him and that they could get through this. She could only hope that she got through to him.

* * *

Kat started working for Lucius fulltime. She did overtime whenever she could, and once and a while, even slept in the office. In a few weeks it would be her eighteenth birthday, something she wasn't looking forward to. Hopefully everyone would ignore it.

Things were going great at the firm. At least Kat could pretend to be happy somewhere. Her secretary was a sweet little old lady, and she found herself smiling genuinely for the first time in a while when they had a party for her 80th birthday.

All her employees loved her. Well, not the janitors, but that was because she was a downright slob. She'd just give them a nice Christmas bonus or something. It wasn't her fault a family of mice took up residence in her desk... She was saving that cake for a bad day!

"How was I supposed to know mice loved chocolate?" Kat muttered to herself as she slid her letter opener across a letter that her owl just plopped on her desk. She'd worry about the poop it left behind later and most certainly wouldn't forget about it. Not this time anyway.

 _Hey Kat,_

 _Turns out, Gran had been refusing to pay her taxes since my dad died because, and I quote, "The Ministry is full of Death Eater scum." She could use some help. Well… I could use some help paying her taxes for her._

 _Could you help me out? I haven't the first clue about this stuff. She wouldn't last in Azkaban. I could only imagine what sort of trouble she would get in for driving the dementors mad._

 _I have some other news as well, but I could just send the paperwork in if you don't want to see me._

 _Thanks for not tearing up the letter at the sight of my handwriting,_

 _Neville_

Kat chewed on her lip and quickly stuffed the letter in her drawer with the cake and locked it. The mice would get to live another day, she supposed. She couldn't let Lucius know she was helping out Neville. _If_ she was going to help out Neville.

Who was she kidding? Neville was always so kind and so understanding. She couldn't say no. Lucius hardly worked anyway and simply enjoyed raking in the profits. He would never know.

* * *

"I'm trying to put together a potion to help Kat and Draco," Lily said over dinner. James figured as much. Her nose had been buried in a book more often than not lately. Hell, she had one in her lap right now. "But I'm afraid it'll drastically lower his sperm count."

"Ugh!" Now that was just taking things too far. James pushed his plate away. "I'm eating! The last thing I want to hear about is Draco Malfoy dumping a less than fertile load into our daughter!"

"James!" Lily yelled as if _he_ were the perverted one. The cruel woman laughed at his disgust. "I want to help them. I think their marriage is falling apart."

"Their marriage is always falling apart," James grumbled. That didn't mean a perfectly good steak had to suffer and not be eaten! "They're seventeen. Let them work through it without using a baby to cover up the problem."

Lily grinned. "So you're saying I shouldn't ask for a sample to examine?"

"No!" He was married to a horrible, horrible woman. "You're going to carry that to the lab? With your own hands?"

"Unless you're going to be a gentlemen and take it yourself," Lily joked. She laughed loudly when he started making retching noises. Once he was done making a spectacle, she grew serious. "I'd want someone to help us have more children if they could have."

James sighed. Stupid Lily and her constant need to make everything better. "Fine. Go ahead, ask Draco to rub one off. I'm sure he'll be glad to."

Lily rolled her eyes and then asked a house elf to bring him a vanilla milkshake with whipped cream. James abandoned his steak. He was married to the devil.

* * *

Ginevra didn't know they were here. Daphne absolutely hated putting all their business into the court system, but she didn't want her girlfriend to know. Ginevra preferred to hide, and this ordeal was tough enough for her as it was. Daphne didn't want to make it worse.

Draco had to leave the Manor. His and Katherine's first anniversary was coming up, and they barely spoke. Although they were true, he was deeply hurt by her words in the court. Her saying that she loved him didn't do anything to make him feel better. She was just saying she wished they had a chance, a real chance but…

They were in a Muggle club. It was dark except for the strobe lights, and Draco hated it even after having a few drinks in him. There was a reason he didn't drink. Unlike Daphne or Katherine, alcohol didn't help him forget his emotions. It only amplified them.

But he was nicely dressed, polite, and not slobbering over all the women like some of the other patrons. It didn't take long for someone to seek him out.

She had black hair. That was about it when it came to a resemblance, but Draco was so drunk that he could make himself pretend that it was Katherine. A Katherine who could genuinely smile out him without hurt in her eyes.

"Let's go somewhere more private," she whispered seductively. Like a zombie, Draco followed.

But she wasn't Katherine. For anyone else, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Her hair was smoother. She was a bit older, a bit more together. Something about her was sweeter. As soon as she leaned in to kiss him, Draco, in his drunken state, burst into tears.

She pulled away and left before finding out what was wrong. She didn't even say a word. With a disgusted face, she was gone. Maybe she wasn't so different from Katherine all along.

* * *

Draco woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. He groaned but was too weak to turn his head when the sunlight peaked through the curtains and landed on his face. The last thing he could remember was comparing the nameless woman to Katherine.

It wasn't exactly fair. Katherine, for all her lack of communication skills, did want to help him. She had to force herself to say it under oath, but she loved him. He just didn't want to help himself. He had to stop expecting people to spoon feed him. If he wanted something, he had to get it.

* * *

"I'm seeing Luna." Neville's words shocked Kat, which made her feel like a horrible person. She couldn't expect Neville to be single for the rest of his life. "I-I wanted you to know."

"Oh." Kat forced herself to smile. There was no reason for her to be hurt by this. She loved Draco. "I'm, er, happy for you."

Neville smiled in a way that told her he understood. "She's much less annoying than you," he joked. "But in a good way," he added, as if that could possibly be a bad thing. "Thank you, for, well, everything."

"I should be the one thanking you," Kat muttered. She would probably only seem him occasionally at parties now. It would be weird not relying on him when things got tough. "I think I would have thrown myself off the Astronomy Tower if it wasn't for you."

"I wouldn't have been able to kill Voldemort if it wasn't for you," Neville said honestly. "You were always there when I wanted to give up."

Kat took a deep breath and because she knew she would regret it if she didn't, hugged him tightly. "Goodbye, Neville."

* * *

Draco needed to talk to Katherine. Okay, fine. He needed to talk to Katherine for a long time now, but last night really made him pull his head out of his ass. What she said at the hearing was right. He loved her and needed to show her that he loved her without any strings attached. Not because they were forced into marriage, not because he was a werewolf and couldn't be with anyone else. He finally had to show her that he had the courage to truly be married to her.

So he found himself awkwardly walking through the halls of the accounting firm that his father bought for him and that was now Katherine's refuge. No one really looked his way except for a few secretaries who offered him coffee. Father must not do much around here.

He was politely given directions to Katherine's office, so he supposed everyone liked it that way. He wondered if it wasn't for being infamous from the War if anyone would recognize him.

Katherine's office had a modern look to it. The walls were windows, and the first thing Draco noticed was a rubbish bin by the door that was overflowing with candy wrappers. He almost smiled, but the next thing he noticed was Longbottom hugging Katherine tightly.

He apparated home before she could see him.

 **Thank you Ern Estine 13624, Child of Dreams, and gr8rockstarrox for reviewing!**

 **Things will finally start looking up next chapter! Do you think Remus should try to talk to Draco again?**

 **I posted my final idea for the next Draco/Kat story on** _ **Katherine the Great**_ **, so make sure to check that out! Hopefully I managed to get the poll up…**


	15. Understanding

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 15 Understanding

"I'm sorry." Weeks had passed since Fred had last seen her, but he didn't know what she was apologizing for. One couldn't apologize for being sick, but Pansy looked embarrassed all the same. "I don't think it's fair to you. This. Whatever this is."

"What do you mean?" Fred picked up a dung bomb off a nearby shelf and tossed it in George's direction. The action was like a reflex and often done without thinking.

"I'm never going to be normal." Pansy spoke as if she was rehearsing a speech but now that the moment was here to give it, was overcome with stage fright. "There's going to be weeks, months even where I…" She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "You deserve a normal life."

Fred made a big show of looking around the shop. "Huh. Weird."

Pansy frowned. He always found it cute when she looked torn between curiosity and annoyance about his antics. "What?"

"I'm trying to figure out what makes you think I want a normal life." He smirked when she chose annoyance. "I'm not going to settle for someone else just to be _normal_ , Pansy. If normal was important to me, I'd be sitting at a desk right now at the Ministry bored out of my mind."

"There's a difference between wanting an interesting life and listening to me babble about nonsense for hours," Pansy said roughly. "I'm not good enough for anyone, Fred, let alone you. I can't even be depended on to take a potion once a day. I'll never be able to give you a family or say I can be there whenever you need me or—"

"You're sick," Fred said bluntly. There was no denying it or pretending that they would have the perfect life together, but he didn't want perfect. He wanted her. "So what? This past year with you has been the best year of my life. Whatever is "wrong" with you is a small price to pay."

Her eyes glistened, but she refused to shade a single tear. Pansy was too tough to cry in front of him. For once, he wished she wasn't. "You say that now…"

"Yes. I'll say that now. And I'll say it a year from now. And ten years from now. Eleven on the other hand…" He grinned when she glared at him. "I won't promise you forever. But only because right now I know you'll refuse to believe it. Why can't we just see where the present takes us? Why can't we just try?"

"Because…" Pansy took a deep breath, preparing herself for the million reasons she had crammed into her poor brain. "Because…"

"Can I kiss you?" Fred asked seriously.

Pansy blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

In the distance, Fred heard George laughing at him. Unfortunately, he wasn't in dung bomb range, and Fred was too busy babbling like an idiot to have proper aim. "Well…" He shrugged awkwardly. "It seemed like a good moment, you know…" He shrugged again, and George laughed a little louder. "But I didn't want to ruin it with you kicking my bits. You shoes _are_ pointed at the end…"

Pansy shook her head. "You bloody idiot."

Before he could argue (and George could agree with her in the background), Pansy stood on her tip toes and kissed him to shut him up, just like he wanted to do to her. Hopefully this would get them through the next eleven years.

* * *

Kat came home from work on her and Draco's first anniversary to find her dearest husband packing her bags. After a week of silent treatment, she shouldn't be surprised. He never even told her _why_ he wasn't talking to her.

"Are we finally going on a honeymoon?" Kat asked sarcastically when it became clear he was going to ignore her and keep on packing. Finally, he stopped. "Are we going to Disney World?"

"You can go," he grunted. He picked up an ugly lamp and threw it in her suitcase. That wasn't hers… "I'll even let you get the marriage annulled, if Longbottom's grandmother wants you to."

"Augusta hates me…" Kat shook her head, forcing herself to forget the older woman's constant disapproving looks when she wore shorts to play outside as a child. " _Anyway,_ what hell are you doing?"

"Like you said at that bloody freak show," Draco spat. "I don't want to trap you anymore. Go."

"To Neville's grandmother?" Kat yelled to try to get his attention. He wouldn't look at her. "Sorry, but she's not my type." Draco rolled his eyes and looked around for more things to throw in her suitcase. "And I was trying to tell you that I wish you didn't feel like that and knew that I love you."

"You know what I'm talking about." Once he saw that there was nothing else to pack, he picked up her suitcase and threw it on the ground. He kicked it, and Kat hoped the cracking sound was that stupid lamp. "I saw you. With him the last week."

Kat narrowed her eyes. That explained the other day, when her secretary was asking about him. She thought Lucius was prowling about since she still called him Mr. Malfoy. So he saw her talking to Neville. Wonderful. "Oh? Did you listen in? To our hot and passionate conversation about his grandmother's taxes and his new girlfriend?"

He finally faced her to see that she was annoyed instead of worried. There was a long pause, making Kat wonder if he was trying to figure out an excuse not to believe her. "You're never home."

Neither one of them were willing to say why. They both had given up. Kat pursed her lips. "I like it there."

"Because Longbottom's there," he accused.

"Yeah, in a place where your father could stop by at any moment," she snapped. Well… He had been there. Draco rolled his eyes. "That's not why, and you know it."

His face turned pink, reminding Kat of when they were kids, and she said something particularly offensive. "You expect me to be okay with having a _disease,_ to be okay turn into-into some rabid _dog_ that wants to eat people and… Because of me, we can't have children and you've had the worst year of your life, and it's only going to get worse because—"

"Because you don't value yourself!" Kat yelled. "That's why you went through with the contract! That's why you won't talk to me! And that's why you mangled yourself sixth year!" Her eyes filled with tears at the memory. "I just want you to be okay. Since that day… I just wanted you to be okay!"

He laughed bitterly and turned away from her again. "So you decided to become a hospice wife."

Kat clenched her fists as he started to walk away. How many times were they going to have this fight? Maybe it was because they always gave up before they could finish it. She grabbed his arm before he could open her door. "Fight for me."

"That's all I do!" he growled as he ripped his arm out of her hand. _No,_ Kat thought, _you fight with me._ "I love you, Katherine, but you're obviously better off without me. You could have a family and—"

"Having children isn't everything!" Kat screamed. Somewhere in the Manor, she was sure Narcissa was having heart palpitations. "Can you please…" She took a deep breath. She didn't talk about the miscarriages anymore. "Before my mum told us, when she sat us down, I thought it was something with me. Like my insides or something. If it was, would you want me to shut myself up in the library like that?"

He laughed bitterly like she was a stupid child who didn't know what she was talking about. "That's different."

"How?" Kat gritted her teeth and tried to hold back her tears. She preferred to pretend that they never happened. That was why she worked so much. They were all he wanted to think about. "Because of the potions? Well I've been hit with every curse in the book. And I've taken all kinds of things that made me sick just to feel good in the moment! It could've easily been me!"

"But it wasn't!" he shouted. He made to punch her door but stopped himself. "I have to look at myself every day knowing what I've done to you! To our children!"

Now Kat didn't want to look at him. She rubbed her arms as if cold. After this was over, she hoped he would pretend it never happened like she did. "Mum said they weren't developed enough to feel it."

Draco threw his hands in the air. "Well that makes it all better! You're right, Katherine! Let's go on that honeymoon! C'mon, you can show me what the fuck Disney World is!"

Kat couldn't take it anymore and wiped her eyes as she brushed past him. "I would do anything for that."

* * *

Mrs. Potter tentatively knocked on Draco's door. As usual, it was past noon, and he was still in bed. He hadn't gotten out of it since his fight with Katherine last night. When he didn't bother to answer, she opened the door anyway.

"Can we talk?" she whispered.

"Have you spoken to Katherine?" he asked as he put his arm over his eyes. Of course she had spoken to Katherine.

"No," she said curiously. "Should I have?"

"No," he answered, knowing she was probably going to as soon as she left. For once, Draco found himself hoping Katherine was at work.

"Hmmm…" Mrs. Potter was a fearsome woman. It would be best if he didn't look at her. "I actually wanted something from you, Draco."

"Go ahead," he muttered. The sooner she was gone, the better. "Take it."

She cleared her throat. "I, um, can't exactly. At least, I hope not."

Ugh. What now? Draco sat up and did his best not to glare. "What?"

"I, um, if you could…" She turned bright red and tried to hand him a small plastic cup. "I would like a sperm sample."

… At first, Draco didn't know why or how she planned to get it and suddenly felt the need to cover himself. At the sight of the cup, he wondered if there was some horrible procedure—Oh.

"I-I-I…" Draco found himself choking on air, making words impossible. She wanted him to wank in a cup and give it to her!

Mrs. Potter turned a shade redder. "I can wait downstairs. Or come back tomorrow. I figured you won't want to go to St. Mungo's, but there are… photographs there, if you need assistan—"

"Stop!" Draco squeaked. "I-I don't th-think…"

"I want to see what it looks like now, compared to after I give you a potion," she said while looking at the ceiling. "It's still in its early stages, but I figured you'd want to give it a shot."

Draco almost snatched the cup out of her hands, but then he remembered Katherine. She didn't want to have children right now. She accused him of rushing things to make himself feel better when he really wanted to make _her_ feel better …because it would make him feel like less of a monster.

If he did this, she would think he was doing same thing again. Then, _she_ would do the same thing again, ignore him and work until she couldn't keep her eyes open. After the miscarriages, he wanted to change this part of himself more than he wanted to change the fact that he was a werewolf. He wanted to do this, but what was the price?

"I'm sorry." Draco shook his head. "I'm not interested."

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey." Meals were usually awkward, but Kat tended to listen to what her monster-in-laws were saying instead of staring at Draco and saying nothing. Today, they were nowhere to be found. "So… are they finally dead?"

Maybe that was a bad joke. For a moment, Draco looked like he thought she was serious. "N-no. I, erhm, made reservations for us. Then I realized it was somewhere I would like, not somewhere you would. So I asked them to go."

"Oh." Kat smiled at her plate, which had a homemade egg roll on it. She doubted it would be as greasy as she was used to. "We still could've went. I mean, the French invented French fries, didn't they?"

"Uh… The restaurant is Italian." Woah, switching it up there. Kat wished they were in a place where she could make a joke that wasn't mean. "Anyway, your mother came to see me. I wanted to talk to you about that, but I was afraid you'd get angry anyway."

"Me? Angry at Mum? Never!" she said dryly. She wondered what was up now.

"She thinks she can fix my, erhm…" He coughed and looked away. "… _problem._ But you said you don't want a baby, so I thought you'd get mad."

She didn't even like to hear the word "baby." Kat forced herself to smile and started digging into her food. It tasted like sand. "I wouldn't have gotten mad," she said sadly. "But I can't handle doing that right now."

When Teddy's first birthday came along, she couldn't even bring herself to attend. She didn't even have the guts to be around her own godson. She just needed time. That's what she heard Mum saying to Tonks. Time didn't seem to be helping much.

"She wanted me to wank in a cup." Draco tried to laugh, but the air was too tense. "I wanted to tell you, but I realized it wouldn't make anything better."

Kat shrugged. "It would be funny…"

"For who?" he grumbled. "She said St. Mungo's had photographs of naked women. How would they get them?"

Kat choked on her wine. At first, she thought he was joking, but he was genuinely confused. That only made her laugh harder. "I don't know! I heard Ginny was looking for a job!"

"Good to know you're still able to laugh at me." He had yet to touch his food, but after months for forcing herself to eat, Kat suddenly felt hungry.

"So did you go yet?" Kat said between mouthfuls. "I'll give you a picture… Of Ginny. She needs money."

She'd pretend that grumpy cat look was one of endearment. She was a _Kat_ after all. Draco sighed. "I didn't think you'd want me to."

"Ah." Kat stabbed at her sweet and spicy chicken with her fork. "Well, I want you to." Draco's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I want you to feel better about yourself." That's what this was about, Kat told herself. There was no need to talk about babies. "I've been trying to drill that into your skull for months. And if that means you have to masturbate for my mum, then…"

"You're an asshole." Draco reached for her Chinese food covered hand but thought better of it and pulled away with revulsion. "And judging by your father, it's genetic."

Kat had the decency to magic her hands clean before reaching out for him. "Who knows? Maybe one day we'll find out."

"Yay…"

* * *

"Kat!" Lily couldn't help but be surprised. Narcissa said she spent Teddy's birthday locked in her room with a body of gin. "I…"

"I can't have you making moves on my husband, Mum." Kat seemed to get happier with every shade redder Draco got. She almost seemed like the old Kat. "Does Dad know of your plans?"

"Yes." Her poor husband was trying to find somewhere to hide so he wouldn't have to hear how today went. "The contract was all an elaborate plan so we could have Draco to ourselves."

"He _is_ very pretty," Kat allowed as she not so gently pushed him forward. "I expect him back in the same condition I rented him out in."

"I hate you," Draco growled. Well… good to know they were finally patching things up…

* * *

Draco stood in the room provided for him for nearly fifteen minutes. He couldn't bring himself to sit down. How many men had sat in that chair and…? He stuffed his hands in his pockets, not wanting to touch anything.

And felt a scrap of paper in his right pocket.

Oh Merlin. What if it was a picture of Ginevra? Draco closed his eyes as he took it out. Surely there was a rubbish bin he could burn it in somewhere around here… He forced one eye open to try to find it.

It was a picture of Katherine in the cat costume she wore last Halloween. She was dancing around like an idiot and started taking her top off before she burst out laughing. After a couple of seconds, she managed to regain control. She was still trying not to laugh as she took her boots off.

"Stupid," Draco muttered. She didn't get serious until all her clothes were off. And then…

* * *

"The trial's almost over," Percy said hoarsely as Hermione slipped into his lap. They were in his office but didn't need to worry about getting caught. The both of them were hard workers and always the last ones to leave. "But I could use an intern." Hermione tried to get him to shut up by nibbling on his ear. "I would only take the best."

"Hmmm…" Hermione laughed and started kissing his neck. "Me too. I'll need to explore my options."

"Damn it, Hermione." He grabbed her by her shoulders and tried to force her to talk to him. "I mean it. It would be good for your career, and we'd see each other every day."

Hermione smiled seductively. "You'll miss me."

"I'm not going to deny it. I'm not a stupid teenager." The last sentence had a little more bitterness to it. Maybe if he was her age, and not more experienced, she'd feel like he was less competition, like she wouldn't have to catch up to him.

"And neither am I." Hermione raised an eyebrow, but he knew she would already be gone if she thought he was calling her stupid. "And maybe I will come back to the firm."

"Really?" He must've sounded too hopeful because she smirked, causing him to sour. "When?"

Hermione shrugged. She was never in a rush while he wanted to be as close to her as possible, as soon as possible. "When I can be hired as partner alongside you."

When they would be equals. Percy wondered what that would be like, when they weren't racing each other. Of course, they always would be, at least distantly. They both wanted to be Minister of Magic. "I'll miss this."

Her current somewhat short term goal could take years. Hermione didn't seem fazed. "Next time, we'll be doing this in _my_ office."

She kissed him hungrily, as if they weren't going to say goodbye very soon. In her eyes, it was only the beginning. So why did Percy already feel lonely?

* * *

"I thought they would've had an anniversary party." Lily rarely laid in the grass, but it was such a beautiful day. The weather would make it easy to pretend that all was well and that she could waste a day staring at the clouds. "After the other day…"

James plopped down next to her and bit into an apple. His obnoxious crunching ruined the peaceful moment, and she was sure he knew it. "Why?" he asked in between chews. "What happened the other day?"

So he had completely blocked it out of his memory. Lily closed her eyes and breathed in the early autumn air. This would be one of the last beautiful days. "Don't you remember, darling? I spent half the day looking at our dear son-in-law's sperm."

James started choking, making Lily open one eye so she wouldn't miss his horror. "Lils!"

"She loves him," Lily said calmly. "And he loves her. They almost reminded me of us when I saw them."

"I would never let your mum look at my spunk," James grumbled.

That wasn't the point. Lily sighed as the wind blew, giving her a slight chill. "I thought that I would stop feeling guilty during that moment. The moment when I could see that they loved each other."

"Because that would make it okay, Lily." James abandoned his apple and drew his knees to his chest. "And it's not. You just need to accept that. Under no circumstances was it the right thing to do."

"Maybe…" Lily wanted it to be okay though. She wanted Kat to be ridiculously happy and be able to say she never harmed her daughter. But that would be living in a fantasy. "You're right."

"Are you willing to put that in writing?" James cracked a smile. "It's not the end of the world, Lily. With Draco being a werewolf, Kat could've gotten a divorce if she wanted to. She has a way out. And she's tough. She'll eventually be alright. So… forgive yourself and stop looking at her husband's spunk!"

She was starting to smile back until he mentioned Draco's sperm. From the tests she ran, nearly all of it carried an abnormality that could only be the werewolf gene. How was she going to tell him?

* * *

"What if they fall off?" Katherine asked loudly. Mrs. Potter had given him a potion to eliminate the sperm that carried the lycanthropy gene. She wasn't sure if it would work or if there would be any side effects. Therefore, he was being observed for the night at St. Mungo's, and his lovely wife was talking about his testicles in the hospital cafeteria. "I like them."

"Shut up!" Draco hissed. Now he had the urge to check on them… She probably got spaghetti and meatballs on purpose. The evil smile on her face when she stabbed a meatball with her fork confirmed it. "Then your mum is going to have to put them back on because no one else knows I'm Patient Zero or X or whatever the hell she calls me in her notes."

Male patient, between the ages of sixteen and twenty. That was what Mrs. Potter referred to him as. He didn't want to risk anyone overhearing though. Patient Zero implied he had something contagious. Maybe that would make any busy bodies steer clear of him.

"I wonder if they'll bounce." His devil wife laughed when he pushed his plate away. "I'm surprised your mum isn't here." Well… Katherine gaped. "She doesn't know?! Surely Mum told her!"

He told his parents that he and Katherine were doing some stupid couples' retreat. "Healer patient confidentiality. I'd rather her not be fussing over something like this."

"She'd want to check on them." Katherine tried to put on a seductive expression. Draco thought she looked like she was trying to smile and hold her breath at the same time. " _I_ could."

This had to be because her mother said no sex. She probably wanted all his bits to fall off. "You know, I think visiting hours are all most up."

Thankfully, the weird look stopped. "I…" Katherine laughed to herself. "One thing I miss about the old you is your confidence. Even though you had too much of it." She laced her fingers in his. "So go on. Call me a bitch like the good old days."

"Is this some kind of weird sex thing?" Draco drawled.

"No. I'm just enjoying this torturous moment with you." She had a James Potter cocky smirk on her face, but he could see the concern in her eyes. "So I'm obviously spending the night."

"Obviously." Draco pretended to be annoyed, especially when she cuddled up to him that night and wrapped her legs around his waist. The truth was that he was happy that, for once, she didn't run.

* * *

Lily didn't want to crush their hope. She knew what it felt like. But… as she looked at her charts… She would be surprised if they ever had children. They were young. She shouldn't tell them it would never happen. And who knew? Loads of couples were told it would never happen and were able to have two or even three children.

Lily closed her eyes as they walked into her office. Besides Molly and Mrs. Black, she didn't know of anyone who had three or more children. "Good morning."

"The hospital cafeteria didn't have donuts," Kat complained. Lily wondered if she was joking around like her old self or if she was pretending to be in a bratty mood for Draco. The poor boy was biting his nails and seemed too scared for words.

"So…" She should just say it. Delaying will only make it worse. "From the looks of things, the potion was successful. I'll want a few more samples but…"

"Wonderful," Draco muttered. Kat brightened up at the thought of his further embarrassment.

"But…" She was a healer for Merlin's sake! Giving bad news was part of the job. "I'm afraid it's left you with a very low sperm count, Draco."

Neither one of them really understood what she meant. They were just children after all. But, as terrible as it was, they had to get through this. After all that had happened, she really didn't want to give them more bad news.

"It's going to be hard for you to have a baby," Lily said bluntly. She expected Draco's flinch, but Kat's dumbstruck look made a lump form in her throat. "That may change over time. Or it may randomly happen. Like I said, I'll gather some more samples, but…"

"It doesn't matter." Then it most certainly did. Kat stopped being cheerfully mischievous and looked how she usually did in the morning, tired. "We don't need that right now anyway."

"Don't try taking fertility potions. Either of you. Draco, I don't know if that will counter what I'm giving you, and Kat, there's nothing wrong—I mean hindering your fertility." There wasn't much more she could say. Lily chewed on her lip when Kat rose to leave without another word. Hopefully she could come up with something better…

* * *

Draco was pretending to be asleep that night when Katherine slipped into his bed. He tensed when she snuggled up to him, still not used to her sudden closeness. Her tears rolled down her cheeks onto his chest. He wondered if she had been drinking.

"Mum's clever," she whispered. "I thought she was going to make everything better."

In a way she did. He would never cause… what happened again. And there was the fact that Katherine was talking to him, really talking to him, without yelling for the first time in months.

"I'm sorry," he said, as he hesitantly ran his hand through her messy hair. "After you left, she talked about Muggle donors. She said we could find one that looked like me."

"You'd do that?" She stopped crying, but even in the dim moonlight, he could see that her nose was red. "I'm a halfblood. And you'd want to mix that with Muggle blood?"

"Do you think I would have married you if I cared about that?" he whispered harshly. However, it wasn't an outrageous accusation. Would he have married her if he wasn't a… if he wasn't sick? He would have always loved her but… maybe not. Sure, he'd be miserable for the rest of his life, but his family bloodline wouldn't be the mess it was now. Now he understood what Katherine meant when she had said, _I don't want the old you, Draco. I-I didn't know him… I'm in love with you now._

Katherine shrugged, but that wasn't what was bothering her. "It wouldn't be yours."

No, it wouldn't. He wanted to get all mushy and say it wouldn't matter to him, but would it? He didn't want to lie and put a child through having a father who didn't love it. "I know but…"

She pursed her lips. They both weren't sure about the idea, but the fact that he wasn't appalled made her smile. With a loud sigh, she threw herself back onto the bed. "We'll worry about it when we're old like your parents."

"Not yours?"

"No. My parents are twenty nine."

"So they had you when they were eleven?"

"Don't judge…"

He pulled Katherine closer to him, but stopped himself from reaching up her nightdress like he wanted to. Instead, he asked quietly and with the utmost reluctance, "Do you want to go to that revolting restaurant you like tomorrow? The one where the wait staff makes fun of us in Mandarin?"

She rested her chin on his chest to get a better look at him. After a brief moment, she decided it wasn't a trap to make fun of her. The smirk on her face was ridiculously smug. "Finally this relationship is moving in the right direction."

Bitch.

 **Did ya miss me? XD I was in a bit of a funk, but I'm much better now, so no more over a month and a half breaks!**

 **Thank you Ern Estine 13624 and broken barriers-gr8rockstarrox for reviewing!**

 **So far only one person voted on the poll! Remember, I can't see who voted, not that it'd matter to me anyway!**

 **Oh and I wrote a short story called** _ **Who is June Potter?**_ **It's a bit of a mess but check it out if you're interested!**


	16. The Court's Ruling

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

 **So I started a new job and am still getting used to it. I figured I'd give you guys a mini-chapter instead of leaving you hanging. :)**

Chapter 16 The Court's Ruling

"We have decided." He was as old as dirt, and his hands shook as he read his decree. Alright fine. Fudge wasn't _that_ old, and Hermione had a feeling that he was going to say something that would anger someone important. That was the only reason he was shaking. There was nothing he could say that would make everyone happy.

But he would try. Fudge was the ultimate people pleaser, so the court's ruling made no one happy in an attempt to make everyone happy. Perhaps he was hoping that everyone would be grumbling instead of protesting or worse, demanding he step down.

"We are not going to make marriage contracts illegal. They are too ingrained in our society." He held up his hand as someone cried out in outrage. "However, the bride will have to sign, _and_ guardians will no longer have the authority to. Only the two spouses involved. All contracts within the past hundred years will be voided by the Ministry upon request by either the wife or husband."

Everyone was too stunned to object, causing Fudge to breathe a very noticeable sigh of relief. He took the silence as submission, and it gave him the confidence to continue. "Now, the subject of… _homosexuality._ " He gulped as Hermione leaned forward. "We have lost enough of witches and wizards from the War—"

"They aren't part of our world!" someone yelled in the background. Fudge froze in fear of further retaliation and only continued after it became clear that it wouldn't come.

"We cannot afford to lose anymore," he went on after clearing his throat. "There will be no more medical persecution. The private life between to consenting adults is… not the Ministry's business." People behind Hermione and Percy started cheering, until Fudge decided to ruin it. "However, we will not condone it or acknowledge it. The Ministry is denying Ms. Weasley's and Ms. Greengrass's request for the option of marriage between homosexual couples. They may join our society once again, but that is all."

Hermione jumped when she heard the heard the gavel bang. She could not believe her ears. They were supposed to win…

* * *

"We lost." They were in Percy's office, hiding from the _victory_ party. This was her first real fight, and she had lost.

Percy hugged her from behind and kissed her neck. "What do you mean? Do you know how many people thought this day would never come? We will go down in history as—"

"The losers!" Hermione snapped. She pulled herself out of his grasp to pour herself a glass of brandy. She never drank when she was upset. In fact, she often looked down on Kat and Ginny for doing so. "… I guess I'm an all or nothing type of girl."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"You know what I mean…" She knew he wanted to object, but she wasn't in the mood for that right now, so she gave him a moment to think it over and then drop it. When it came to her, Percy wasn't all or nothing either, no matter how much he wanted to be.

"We changed our world," he said instead. "And who knows? Maybe with this, people will be more open to our other ideas in the future."

Hermione shrugged. She didn't want to dampen everyone's celebration or risk losing everything in an appeal. Everything had to be perfect or she felt like a complete failure. She would just have to work harder next time.

* * *

Ginny sighed as people skittered around the firm that Percy worked at to get ready for the party that they already seemed to be having. Mum was nowhere to be found, even though she lived for parties and stuffing everyone to the brim. However, Fred said she had started making a pudding a few hours ago, meaning she planned to guiltily show up late. After months of not talking, she wasn't sure what to say to her mother.

"I can't believe they're throwing a party," Daphne grumbled in her usual spoiled brat tone. She even had her trademark pout at the thought of all their friends celebrating the day's events.

Oh well. Anything for a distraction from family. "Imagine that," Ginny said dryly. "Our friends want to celebrate changing our world as we know it."

"We can't get married."

Ginny sighed. Who cares? They were still teenagers! "We get to see our friends and family on a regular basis again."

"We can't get married."

"We don't need a stupid piece of parchment." Ginny snorted. That's really all it was. She didn't need parchment to be happy. She needed her friends and family. Hopefully she would have them all back.

"I don't _need_ it." Daphne was more demanding than whining. "But I want it."

 _And you'll get it,_ Ginny wanted to say. But there was only so much people could change. She was so thankful for what she had now and was too afraid of it getting taken away. Instead, she strode across the tiny library at Percy's firm and cupped Daphne's face in her hands. "I love you."

Had she ever said that to her before? Ginny was sure she did. However this time seemed the most important. Daphne became less sour, but only slightly. She rested her forehead against Ginny's. "I love you too."

For now, that had to be enough.

* * *

"Shouldn't we be at the party?" Draco asked nervously as he trailed behind her. They were walking around London, and he still jumped if a Muggle got too close.

Kat tried to look innocent and like she wasn't being a total bitch. She would go but… "Tonks made the cake, not Mrs. Weasley."

"Wow." He tried to keep a straight face as she leaned into him. "You're just a gaping asshole, aren't you?"

"Well…" It'd be too sappy to say she just wanted to spend time with him. She'd rather be a "gaping asshole." "We should get a pet."

"A pet?" he repeated flatly, instantly knowing she was making something up on the spot.

"Yeah." Kat narrowed her eyes and started scanning the street as if a pet store would pop up out of nowhere. "We can start out small with a goldfish or a rock or something."

"A rock?" Now he must really think she was dumb.

"Or something." She didn't want a pet, dammit! He was so thick. "Muggle kids have pet rocks when their parents don't want to deal with a pet. Mum said Aunt Petunia had one."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'd rather go to Disney World."

* * *

"Did you read the paper?" James asked lightly. He only really went to Malfoy Manor when Lily made him. Maybe he'd stop by more often when Lucius finally died. James was younger. Surely he would outlive him.

Lucius rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't acknowledge him until an owl flew in and dumped _The Daily Prophet_ on his desk. The headline read _All Marriage Contracts Voided Upon Request,_ but James was sure he already knew. The house elves he passed on his walk from the nearest parlor to Lucius's office were more skittish than usual.

"Yes," Lucius drawled. "I've been bombarded with the news since the moment it happened. Ridiculous."

"You know…" James tapped his chin as if he had to think on what he was going to say. This was going to be great. "Lily's Unbreakable Vow required her to go through with the marriage contract. Only you or Draco could have gotten rid of it. However, we've gone through with it, and the marriage already happened. There was nothing in her Vow about dissolving the contract, since at the time, the only thing that could've was Draco's lycanthropy. Now…"

Lucius's quill stopped at midsentence on whatever letter he was forcing himself to write. The ink started to pool through the parchment. "If she wanted to. Contracts are not illegal if both the bride and groom consent."

Since Draco had been bitten, the bastard distanced himself from his son. James had a feeling that he only knew his only child through Narcissa. Narcissa, who did her best to force herself to see her son's life through rose colored glasses. However, Lucius wouldn't be surprised if it was implied that Kat wanted to leave. But one little detail wouldn't make him happy about it.

"In fact," James said smugly, "I could bring Kat home right now with as much gold as the both of us could carry."

Lucius paled, and James didn't want to admit how good it felt to make the other man look so damn scared. When he didn't want to blame Lily for the past year, Lucius was often the main villain. The fact that he could scare him with the very possible threat of Kat leaving with all the money—

"WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!" Kat screamed from the doorway of Lucius's office, ruining the sweet, perfect moment.

"Shut up, Katherine!" Draco growled from somewhere to her left. "I was joking."

Katherine turned to the wall Draco had to be behind. "No, you weren't! It's too late. You can't joke about stuff like that. We're going, and you're going to walk around with mouse ears and—"

She shrieked happily and ran off as he started chasing her. James tried to keep a straight face as she squealed with delight from somewhere not too far off when he caught her. "We could leave tonight."

"Really?" The smile on Lucius's face reminded James of that Christmas movie Lily liked to drag him to see every year. What was it called? _The Grinch._ "She seems a bit preoccupied at the moment."

"You're disgusting." Now that the fun is over, James rose to leave. Hopefully Kat would invite him to Disney World…

* * *

Ginny figured she'd worry about the trivial things when she got back from Disney World. You know, the trivial things like her family and where she was going to live. There was no reason to think about such things when she was surrounded by people so happy it should be illegal.

A tired sigh escaped as she started to pack her bags. Big surprise that Daphne snuck out because she was too lazy to pack. They were going from one hotel to another…

The knock at the door made Ginny jump until she realized it was probably Daphne thinking the packing was done, and she could offer to help only to feign surprise when she saw that it was already done. Good thing Ginny had procrastinated. She tried to hold in a smirk as she opened the door without thinking.

Her dad was on the other side, not Daphne. She hadn't spoken to him since Percy's botched wedding. He looked sad, but Ginny didn't have time to ponder what he was so devastated about. "We need to talk."

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	17. Who Cares What People Think?

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 17 Who Cares What People Think?

"I'm sorry." Dad looked worse for wear, like he hadn't slept in months. Ginny felt her mouth run dry as he sunk into the cheap white couch of the hotel room she shared with Daphne. "I-I just grew up a certain way and thought Sirius was trying to manipulate you and then when I realized…"

"It's okay, Dad," Ginny said, even though they both knew that it wasn't. No matter how hard he tried, Ginny wasn't sure if she could ever believe him. Did he love her for her? Or for what he wanted her to be?

"It's not," Dad said firmly. He buried his face in his hands but forced himself to look at her after a moment. "But I want it to be. Or I want _us_ to be."

"Dad…" Ginny shivered. Part of her liked being in this limbo, even though she missed her family desperately. Then, she didn't have to face her fears, even though they were always right around the corner, just out of reach. "I-I understand. Don't worry."

"I want you to come home, Gin." For a moment, she thought Dad looked angry. That was what she expected anyway. What she really saw, she realized, was determination. "I'm not perfect. But I want to try. For you. Just…" He smiled and laughed breathlessly, despite his watery eyes. "Just tell me. Tell me if I'm being an ass. Tell me if I need to shut up."

"Where were you months ago?" Ginny asked quietly, even though inside she was screaming. "You and Mum? This would have been nice to hear months ago."

"I don't know." Dad looked away, ashamed of himself. "All I know is that I want my baby girl back. I'm tired of being afraid to do something…"

He's tired of being afraid to change. Ginny didn't know what to say. She had been waiting for something like this but now… Was it too late? She didn't want it to be, and it was her choice. He was her Dad, and he loved her enough to put everything on the table. Perhaps that was why Mum wasn't here. He didn't want to let her take over the conversation. He wanted her to know how _he_ felt.

Ginny swallowed back tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him. Not yet anyway. "I'll come home after my trip." Dad breathed a sigh of relief. "But no one can force me to stay."

Dad nodded and jumped out of his seat. He was so overcome with nervous joy that he almost hugged her. When he realized that they weren't that close anymore, he pulled away.

But Ginny didn't want to leave it like this. When she went home, she wanted to go _home_ , not a place that felt like it used to be home. With more bravery than she thought she had, she took a deep breath and hugged her father. She was finally going to get to go home.

* * *

"We're seriously going to Disney World?" Tonks raised her eyebrow as she watched Sirius haphazardly pack. He was hoping she'd offer to help but… they both knew each other too well for that. She smirked, guessing his thoughts.

"Why not?" he asked. Tonks merely shrugged. "It's been a tough year. It'll be great just to do nothing."

"Yeah…" Tonks leaned against the wall, not bothering to make fun of what he thought was Muggle attire. The first thing Sirius noticed was that her hair was a mousy brown. She couldn't be bothered with letting Teddy pick the color based on how loud his laugh was.

"What's the matter?" Sirius, being Sirius, had no clue. Things were going great!

Tonks shrugged. She was too out of it to even let her hair change based on her emotions. "It… It's always been you. I can't compete with that."

"Compete with what?" Sirius said dumbly. Why couldn't people just come out and say how they felt? He wasn't a damned mind healer!

As people usually did when they were upset and he had no idea why, Tonks glared at him like it was his fault. "Remus will choose you, if it comes down to it."

"Come down to what?" More glares. Sirius threw his hands in the air. "What, Tonks? Spit it out! I have no freaking clue what you're talking about!"

"You don't have to hide anymore." Tonks folded her arms over her chest defensively. "I was just a cover the whole time and now… You don't need me anymore."

Sirius never thought of it that way. Alright fine. Yes he did. But that didn't mean… "You're my family. I'm not going to simply discard you—"

"I know." Tonks sighed. "But if you want to—If Remus wants to…"

"Have we ever made you feel like we would?" Sirius asked lightly, trying not to sound offended. Life without Tonks was… Well, he couldn't picture it.

Tonks tried to laugh it off and shrug at the same time. "People will think you're keeping me out of pity—"

"I'm tired of caring what people think," Sirius said sharply. In fact, it was the closest he could ever recall to snapping at her. "You know what? Fuck appearances. You and Remus should move into the Manor. I'm going to name Teddy as my heir—"

Tonks smiled. "You should. Name Teddy as your heir that is. You and Remus don't have to feel like you need to keep me. I'll do just fine on my own."

"But…" And people thought he was dumb. Sirius rolled his eyes. "I want you to stay, Tonks. You're one of my best friends. Do _you_ want to leave?"

"No. I love Remus." Finally, her hair turned pink to match her face.

Sirius held out his hands as if to say, _Well there you go._ "So now can you help me with this bloody suit case?"

And like that, all was right with the world. Tonks rolled her eyes and took out her wand. "Are you a wizard or not?"

* * *

Draco was exhausted. There were so many Muggles that Father immediately apparated, and Mother had to hunt him down states away in a place called New Orleans. Katherine was talking nonstop about different characters and apparently didn't know them as well as she thought she did because Grang—Hermione had to keep correcting her.

He just wanted to go to sleep. Katherine had other plans, even though he was trying his best not to open his eyes. The rustling sound made him curious, but he kept his eyes shut…

… Only to groan in pain when she jumped on top of him. "Wake up Prince Adam!" she chirped evilly. "Your princess—"

"You're a dragon, not a princess," he growled before reluctantly opening one eye. "Jesus Christ…"

Katherine was on top of him with a gold dress that looked bigger than her and her hair swept in an elegant bun. For a fraction of a second, she pretended to look put out. But there was laughter in her voice when she asked, "You don't like it?"

"So who is this?" he asked, doing his best to sound bored. He had a feeling that dress was a bit too tight and revealing to be an exact replica of the actual Disney dress. Wasn't this a place for children? "I'm tired, Katherine."

"No, you're not," she said happily. "I'm Princess Belle!"

"Of course you are." Perhaps he had a little bit of energy… "From what?"

Katherine laughed evilly, knowing she had him. _"Beauty and the Beast!"_

As soon as his face fell, Katherine adopted an _Oh shit!_ look about her. How could she possibly think that was remotely acceptable? A _beast?_

"If you watch the movie—" she tried.

"What exactly will I see, Katherine?" he tried to push himself up, but her and that horrible dress her too heavy. When he grunted in frustration, she finally took the hint and scrambled off the bed. "A beast? An angry snarling monster?"

Katherine opened and closed her mouth several times before she managed to stutter, "But-I mean-he, well at first-then—"

"Forget it," he snapped. Was it too early to go home? "I'm going to bed."

* * *

They were on some stupid bus. Lucius groaned when he realized the next morning that Katherine and Draco were fighting yet again, so his son moodily sat in the back of the bus while Katherine and Granger sat right in front of him. Of course he'd be stuck listening to them whisper for Merlin knew how long. Why couldn't Cissa let him continue drinking with the vampires in New Orleans?

"That was my favorite Disney movie!" Granger hissed. "Why'd you have to turn it into something sexual?"

Black sat behind him as the bus contraption started moaning. This day kept getting better and better. Within thirty seconds, he groaned to Potter, "I don't feel so good, James."

"Because it was us!" Katherine whispered sadly. "It was so us!"

"It's your fault for eating Muggle sushi," the oblivious Potter said joyfully.

"There's a difference between good sushi and gas station sushi," Lily nearly yelled. "Muggle has nothing to do with it!"

"You didn't think he'd find it offensive?" Granger asked as Black gagged.

"No!" Katherine said so stubbornly that it was obvious she knew she was wrong. "But if he let me explain!"

"Don't worry, Pads," Potter said. "You'll feel better after we go on the tilt-a-hurl, I mean _whirl._ "

"The title is _Beauty and the Beasty_ , you idiot!" Granger yell whispered.

"But he sees he's worthy of love," Katherine said dreamily. Now Lucius wanted to be sick. How long could it take to get to this so called Magic Kingdom?

"No!" Granger put her face in her hands. The gesture perfectly illustrated how he felt around Katherine at all times. "He learns to love!"

"Same thing!"

"No! It isn't! How can you—? You're full of it!"

Before the argument could be settle, Black threw up all over the floor, and since they happened to be going downhill, Lucius's shoes started their morning in a sushi puddle. Wonderful.

* * *

Kat pouted as she watched whoever was in the Dopey and Happy costumes get into a fist fight. Not even that could improve her mood. Hermione was stupid! Draco was stupid! Everyone was stupid!

"Hey." Draco hid from her for nearly three hours. Because he was STUPID.

"Damn it!" she yelled as security started ripping Dopey and Happy apart. This day just couldn't get any worse.

Draco narrowed his eyes at the scene before them. Kat suddenly noticed that several children were crying in the background. "Because of you, Mother made me watch that movie with a bunch of toddlers. It sucks."

"They have rooms where you can watch the movie?!" Kat said excitedly, before remembering that she was upset and pouted and turned away. "Whatever. I'm no Princess Belle anyway. I can't read."

"Right…"

"Hermione's more of a Belle," she grumbled.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Are you done?"

"Maybe I'm more of a Jane since my husband's an ape." Kat grinned when he glared at her. "Yes."

"I'm sorry. I kind of got what you were thinking, even though the movie sucks." He rolled his eyes. "How can someone fall in love with an animal?"

Kat shrugged. "I dunno. Ask Filch."

More eye rolls. "And here I make a romantic gesture, and you don't even notice."

"Huh?" Kat turned away from Snow White's dwarves getting arrested to see that Draco was dressed in the blue, white, and gold outfit that Prince Adam wore in the movies. "Well would you look at that!"

"I look ridiculous." Just as Draco said that, Lucius stomped by cursing while Dad followed him laughing. From the looks of things, Dad had charmed Mickey Mouse ears on him, and he couldn't get them off.

Kat smiled smugly and linked her arm in his. "It must be hereditary."

As she started dragging him away to do something perverted, Draco seemed lost in thought. Oh well, he'd focus once she took her shirt off on the Ferris Wheel. But before they could even get to the line, he said, "I'm sorry I'm so sensitive about it."

"About what?" she asked dumbly. As soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she knew the answer. What had been the source of all their problems?

"You know," he mumbled. "I don't want to be like that anymore."

Kat blinked. There was only one thing he could do really. "Then stop."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" he said dryly.

Kat shrugged and slowly started heading for the Ferris Wheel. "I love you for who you are. I've said it a million times, Draco. There's nothing else I can say that I think is more meaningful than that."

He became distant again and then smiled softly, almost to himself. "Thanks, Katherine."

For once, it wasn't a sarcastic "thanks, Katherine," making Kat think that she said the right thing in the right way. A rarity, she knew. Maybe he was finally starting to take her words to heart. This really was the Magic Kingdom.

* * *

"I don't know why Lily thought this ride was freaky," James said as he put his feet against the seat in front of him. A rather fat, middle aged man turned around and glared at him, causing James to smile a little too innocently and wave.

Sirius shrugged, still looking a little weak from the other day's food poisoning. However, he was still willing to say, "I'll try anything once."

James shivered when the song _It's a Small World After All_ started playing. Why did Lily have to always be right? "Quick, Padfoot! Fake a heart attack!"

"I'm not doing that again," Sirius muttered. "The last time—James look! At the two in the front!"

"For the last time." James did his best to sound exacerbated, but in reality, any distraction was a sweet relief from that demented song. "It's called a digital camera. And I know Lily told you before we got in line."

Well, almost any distraction. "They're snogging!" Sirius whispered loudly, drawing more attention to himself than whoever was a few rows in front of them. "In front of everyone! In front of the robos!"

"Robots," James corrected. Then, he made the mistake of leaning over the fat man to get a better look. Almost immediately, he flung himself backward and started smacking his stupid friend. "Why'd you make me look?"

"Because—"

"That's Kat and Malfoy, you dolt!" James whispered harshly. "Now we have to sit through this demon ride knowing what they're doing!"

Sirius's eyes popped out of his head. "Yell at them to stop!"

He couldn't do that. No one else seemed to have picked up on it but Sirius. If he yelled, then everyone would know. "What if-what if everyone thinks she's some sort of floozy?"

"So?" Sirius craned his neck. "They're still doing it!"

James smacked him again. "Stop looking!"

After arguing quietly to themselves for the rest of the ride, James and Sirius finally resolved to act like they didn't notice anything while on the ride to hell. He thought surely his daughter would see them and become really embarrassed. Serves her right. They were in public!

But they didn't even notice that ride had stopped. James wanted to hurl when he saw Malfoy slither his pale little hand up his baby's shirt. Like any sane person would, he ran off before they could notice. He'd never look at them the same way again.

* * *

"What are you doing in my office, Malfoy?" Katherine growled before grinning. They had returned home few days ago and still couldn't keep their hands off each other. The trip was the beginning of a turnaround for them. Draco just knew it.

"Getting my books back." Draco ran a finger over the spine of a rather thick, old looking book. "Funny. They seem to be dusty from lack of use."

"Why would I have any interest in…?" Since she had no idea what he even was taking back, Katherine simple gestured to the bookshelf. "…books."

Draco smiled to himself and almost told her why he needed them. But there was something else he had to say first. It was too important. "I registered. As a… you know." He swallowed went she looked at him blankly. Of course she didn't know. In his quietest voice, he said, "A werewolf."

Her face fell. She couldn't understand how this was a positive for him. "Why?"

"Because…" He took a deep breath. It had already hit the papers, but as illustrated a few moments ago, Katherine didn't like to read. Father wasn't talking to him. "Because… Because I want to go to law school, and well, I thought it would be a bit silly to do so and get caught doing something illegal…"

"You shouldn't have to if you don't want to," Katherine said slowly as she was still trying to process what he had done. At least she wasn't angry like Father or looking at him with sad eyes like Mother.

"It's more…" His eyes slid away to the textbook he was holding, and he had to force himself to look at her again. "That I don't want it…" He paused as he forced himself to say it again. "Being a _werewolf,_ holding me back any more than it has or will. I wanted to be in control of when people found out. And I wanted to be able to go to university without being afraid of everyone finding out or getting kicked out or…"

"Draco." Katherine squeezed his shoulders to try to get bring him back to the land of sanity. With lips twitching with the effort not to smile, she said, "It's going to be okay."

"I probably won't even get in," he babbled. Malfoys didn't babble.

"Then they don't deserve you." She couldn't hold back her grin now. "You can be my company's lawyer. I'll be your boss and—"

"Thank you, for taking my professional career so seriously," he said dryly.

Katherine straightened up and did her best to look serious. At least she _sounded_ serious when she spoke. She still had a Dumbledore worthy twinkle in her eye though. "If you can't get into one school, apply to another. You'll do great anywhere."

"Yes. I'm sure the local clown college will accept werewolves." But it wasn't fair, he thought childishly. He had the intelligence for the best, but he might not get into any universities. There were a finite amount of colleges that would allow a werewolf with the Mark to set foot on campus, let alone attend.

"I don't know… They can be rather selective." For a moment, he thought she was still laughing at him or worse, trying to cover up her pity with jokes. But then he realized that it was pride that shone in her eyes, not Father's anger or Mother's sadness. She was proud of him. "I'm glad that you did it. No matter what."

"Thank you," he said quietly. It was good to know that someone supported his decision, even if he wasn't sure if he supported it himself.

* * *

"I'm going to be one of those lawyer wives," Katherine said proudly as they entered the "eatery" she loved so much a few months later. After three interviews, and having to argue his case as if he was already a lawyer, Draco, by some miracle, managed to get into the Ulick Gamp University in London.

"I don't even want to know," Draco said, knowing she was going to tell him anyway.

"I'm gonna be fierce!" She waved her hands in the air for affect. "Cut throat as if I were a lawyer myself. Even my makeup will be scary—"

"More than it already is?" he asked lightly before taking a sip of the bubbly drink and wincing. He couldn't wrap his mind around how someone could possibly enjoy it. "Could you do me a favor and stop being so annoying? I did pick your favorite… _establishment_ to celebrate _my_ victory after all."

" _Establishment_ ," she mocked before rolling her eyes. "And that's just because you forgot to make a reservation at yours."

"Perhaps," he said before taking another sip of that revolting drink as if it could give him false courage like alcohol. _Come on,_ he told himself. _I thought you were done being a coward._ "Actually…"

"I'm really happy for you," Katherine said earnestly. "You deserve this."

"There's something else I want to talk to you about." Draco felt like his tongue was swelling up with nerves. "I don't like—I don't like the way we started out. I was a coward and we… Everything happened the wrong way. I-I wish I could turn back time but…"

"Why would you want to do that?" As usual, Katherine was clueless. "Things wouldn't be the way they are now."

"That's not what I meant." Draco clenched his fists until he feared he might break the skin with his nails. "I meant that I want to start over and do things properly."

"I'm not following you." Surprise surprise. At least she didn't try to make it into a joke.

"Typical Potter," he muttered as he reached into his pocket. She finally started to get it when he stood up and got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

"So that's what you meant," she said breathlessly as Muggles started to stare. Her eyes widened like… What was the expression she used to describe him with Muggles? A deer caught in headlights. After first he though she was in too much shock to answer but then… "Then yes."

People started clapping when he jumped up and pulled her into a hug, but Draco could hardly hear them. What he did hear, however, was Katherine whisper in his ear, "I do want to start over with you. Which is why I'll remarry you… in a few years."

Draco tensed as she started laughing and hugged him back tightly. Typical Potter.

 **I have returned! ;) I feel like I have a love hate relationship with this story, which is why I haven't been in the mood to write it. BUT my goal is to finish it by the New Year. We shall see. ;)**

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, and Vi38!**

 **amata0221: I added in some moments based on your review!**

 **Don't forget about the poll! So far** _ **Potter Girls**_ **is winning with some competition from** _ **Remember Me?**_ **Only five votes so far!**

 **Next chapter will be a time skip to the wedding plans! I suppose this could be the unofficial end with the next couple chapters tying up loose ends with lots of Kat and Draco fluff. The reason I say that is that Draco finally came to terms with being a werewolf in this chapter because he gets tired of always being on edge about it. Also, Kat stops trying to rush their relationship and wants to slow things down. Just when Draco wants to speed things up. ;)**


	18. Two Years Later: Wedding Plans

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 18 Two Years Later: Wedding Plans

"We have an announcement!" They had never exactly told anyone of their plans for remarriage because Katherine thought that everyone would try to rush the wedding plans. So they (Katherine) decided that they should announce their "engagement" when they were ready to having the wedding. Two bloody years later.

Draco almost rolled his eyes until he noticed how everyone lit up. Especially Mother. They were in the dining hall, and Father groaned when she squeezed his arm. Poor Mrs. Potter was starting to get excited too. Oh no… "Oh my god! Oh my god! Lucius!"

Katherine, as emotionally stupid as ever, thought that Mother had somehow guessed, and became even happier. "We're getting remarried!"

Mother's face instantly fell. "What?"

Mr. Potter threw his head back and laughed. Draco banged his head on the table as everyone else either looked disappointed or bewildered. They thought they had a different announcement.

But Mother was unwilling to give up hope. She tried to bring her smile back, but she merely displayed a few facial twitches. "Maybe-maybe it's because—"

Katherine the troll wouldn't even let her down easy. "Break out the wine! I'm getting wasted!"

"James!" Mrs. Potter yelled in exasperation as Mr. Potter started laughing so hard that he was turning red. "It's not funny! She's been waiting for this for years!"

"Waiting for what?" Katherine said stupidly.

"She thought we were getting a crup," Draco said dryly. Katherine wrinkled her nose, still not getting it. "The kind with your eyes and hopefully my hair."

"Oh…" The cogs were still turning in that emotionally stunted brain of hers. " _Oh!_ "

Mother shook her head and tried to wave her off. "Never mind, Katherine. It'll happen eventually."

"Yeah…" Katherine sunk in her seat as her father poured her a glass of wine, still laughing. Tonight was going to be a delight.

* * *

"Why does it always have to be about babies with her?" Kat yelled the moment dinner was over, and they were in their room. "I can't even get the flu without her getting excited!"

Draco shrugged like it was nothing. They were only twenty for Merlin's sake! "Well, we're already married. We had a big announcement… She wasn't the only one who thought it."

"Yeah but…" Now their announcement was just a big letdown. Kat signed. She still didn't want to talk about babies. "This was supposed to be _fun._ "

Draco raised his eyebrows. "You told me this morning that the only thing you were looking forward was the cake taste testing."

Kat threw her hands in the air. "You wanted to talk about boring stuff like the location!"

"You're right," Draco drawled. "How could I start off with something so trivial?"

Kat pulled him into a hug. Maybe if she was sneaky he wouldn't notice… "I forgive you. If you want, you can plan those things. I'll plan the more important things like the food."

Instantly he caught on. "That Muggle Chinese place is not catering my wedding!"

"You proposed there! They said they'd give us a discount!" Kat winced as soon as she said that. "Discount" was a foul word to the Malfoys. "I mean—"

"A discount," Draco repeated. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize we were living in the gutter!"

"We're having a self-serve buffet!"

"Oh? Will there be disposable napkins too?"

"I don't want to keep a napkin that Sirius slobbered all over!"

"We're not keeping them!"

"Well what are we going to do? _Throw them away?_ "

"I-I-shut up, Katherine!"

Kat grinned evilly. And this was only the beginning.

* * *

"Er, Mum it's…" Frumpy. That's how Kat described her mum's wedding dress when she tried it on. Apparently late 1970s wedding dresses didn't agree with her.

Maybe it was because Mum was a lot taller than her. And thinner. And more beautiful… Okay. The last one was a bit harsh, but right now, Kat felt like a potato. She never thought of her boobs as lopsided until today. Maybe if she squinted…

"We'll have to do some alterations." Even Mum sounded like she thought she looked awful. Well that will make it easier to say no. "If you want to wear it, that is."

"Er, I wouldn't want to chop up your dress," Kat said to try to let her down easy.

"Why don't you try on mine?" Mrs. Malfoy asked excitedly. As if that wouldn't make things even more awkward. She'd have to tell both women that their dresses made her look like a bleached potato. Before Kat could make up an excuse, her mother-in-law snapped her fingers, and a house elf came scurrying in with a large trunk that probably had more protective charms on it than Gringotts.

"Um…" Well, she could say yes to both women privately, then gain two hundred pounds so she'd have no choice but to turn them both down. Surely Draco wouldn't mind. "Okay?"

Mrs. Malfoy clapped both her hands together. "Wonderful! I've always wanted to have a daughter who could wear my dress." Then, she added for effect, "I don't know if I'll be alive to see my future granddaughter get married. That is…"

Mum snorted as Kat took the dress and backed away slowly to get dressed in the bathroom. It couldn't take that long to gain two hundred pounds, could it?

* * *

"Dad!" James woke up with a start. Where was he again? Something to do with Kat volunteering to do his taxes for free… "You've only been waiting for five minutes!"

"This place is boring, Kitty Kat!" James whined. "Can't you do my taxes without me like you always do?"

"I need you to temporarily blind Mum." Kat held up her hands when James raised his eyebrows. " _Temporarily._ Just until after the wedding."

"It's not like she'd be missing anything," James said sarcastically as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What's the matter?"

"I hate her wedding dress," Kat confessed and then looked over her shoulder to see if someone was listening. " _Hate_ it."

"Well that's good because she hated it on you." James smirked when Kat's eyes widened. "She said you two have different body types. She's tall and thin, and you're—"

"Short and stout?" Kat yelled in offense. Then she groaned and yanked at her hair. "But here's the thing. When I tried on Narcissa's…"

Oh. Shit. All James could say was, "It's your funeral."

"It's my wedding!" Kat whined. "I loved it so much! And Narcissa could tell! She's like the devil! She's been bringing up every time we're in the same room! And when I look at catalogs for a different dress she nitpicks at it until I don't like it anymore!"

"Mum probably wouldn't mind." Honestly, James had no idea. He wasn't a woman, and therefore, he wasn't bloody insane. "Just tell her."

"I was thinking you would," Kat said hopefully. "You know. Because you're my dad."

Nice. She even gave him the puppy dog eyes that made him allow her to eat nothing but chocolate for two days straight when she was a kid. But there was something more formidable than the puppy dog eyes, and her name was Lily Potter.

"Sorry, Kat, no can do." James grinned and started heading for the floo as Kat narrowed her eyes. "Let me know when you're doing the cake testing!"

He should've known that Kat would get him back later…

* * *

A few months later, Kat found Draco pacing by the fireplace. Hopefully he didn't notice the incredibly large order of fortune cookies she ordered the other day… One thousand fortune cookies wouldn't make him _that_ upset, would it?

"Pansy's missing." He sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack. "Her suitcase is gone and-and she can't be on her own. She just can't—"

"Maybe she's with Fred?" Kat said carefully. Draco had to know about them, but she wasn't sure how he would feel about her sleeping over there. It had been years though.

"Why would she be with him?" Draco spat. Oops… Maybe he didn't know about the two of them. "This isn't funny, Katherine! She's mentally ill! I'm going to St. Mungo's. Maybe they found—"

"I'm going to Hogsmeade." Kat grabbed Draco's sleeve before he could run off and do something embarrassing. "Because I can't believe you believed the 'they just snogged last Christmas because of the mistletoe' lie from last year. They just didn't want to upset your parents."

"Pansy would tell me if she was stoop to being with that fool!" Draco snarled. Okay… He was clearly panicking… Call her crazy, but Kat was beginning to think it wasn't Draco's parents that Pansy and Fred were worried about.

"Oh I'm sure she would." Kat rolled her eyes. "C'mon. And be nice. They tolerate you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

* * *

"If it isn't my second favorite Potter!" George yelled in greeting when Kat flooed in with her irate husband. "Hello, Malfoy. Is it that time of the month already?"

"Where's Pansy?" It took him a moment to realize that Malfoy was glaring at the scarf Pansy left on the counter this morning. Damn it… Well, Freddy said he didn't want Malfoy to know. You couldn't always get what you want.

"Oh, would you look at that?" Kat was looking at a nearby calendar. "It _is_ that time of the month."

"This is an emergency!" Malfoy shrieked like the little girl that he was. "Does your stupid brother know that—?"

"Yes." No one could call Fred stupid but him. George folded his arms over his chest. Fred was going to kill him, but at this point, he didn't care. Was it considered unmanly to punch a werewolf so close to the full moon? "And no matter how much she reminded him, he still wanted to elope this morning."

"Oh snap!" Kat never failed to be entertained by the drama of others. Perhaps he and Fred shouldn't have babysat her so much when she was little…

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"

* * *

"I don't know why she thought you would take it so badly." Kat yawned as Draco did his now nightly pace in front of the fireplace. Two days later, and Pansy had yet to return. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the three daily howlers Draco sent.

"She's my best friend," Draco snapped, sounding hurt for the first time in the past three days. "I've been there for her through _everything_. He doesn't know how to help her. _He's_ just going to abandon her, and we're going to have to pick up the pieces."

"Unless you push her away." Kat fought back another yawn. It was hard to sound wise and Dumbledore-like when one was tired. "Give 'em a chance, Draco. People put up with so much shit from us, and now we're absolutely perfect."

Draco scowled. "Don't think I don't know you cancelled Mum's swan rental and ordered tigers instead."

 _Because our wedding has to be as perfect as us,_ Kat had to stop herself from saying. "Well… Just tell Pansy that she always has a home with us and… If any letters come in from Newt Scamander, please forward them to me."

Draco shot her another glare and stormed off. "My life is a bloody circus."

Kat snorted. "And he complains when I'm on my period…"

"I heard that!"

Fuck…

* * *

"Any particular reason you can't stop day dreaming, Kat?" Lily grinned into her teacup. Once a month, she reserved an afternoon with her girls. She would prefer once a week, but Hermione was always so busy with work.

Kat blinked in surprise and had to run her words through her head again. "Erhm, no?"

"I am not wearing that crème puff of a bride's maid dress." Hermione assumed it was about the wedding, and not that Draco was sick in bed facing Pansy. Lily supposed she'd let that slide. She was sure she'd hear about it from Narcissa for hours on end anyway.

Kat frowned. She was more concerned about the food and how many interesting animals she could have at the wedding than any other aspects of it. "What?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and mixed a cube of sugar into her tea. "The dress you sent me last week. It's absolutely atrocious."

"Huh?" Kat had no idea that Draco and Narcissa were doing all the work. As long as there was chocolate and a mini-zoo, Lily didn't think she cared. "Oh… well, then… don't wear it, I don't know…"

"What about your dress, Kat?" Lily asked, feeling the slightest bit evil. She could tell from her poor daughter's face that Narcissa's dress was _the_ dress. She simply wanted her daughter to have the guts to say it. "The wedding is in a few months, and you still haven't found one."

"Well, Mum, I can't wear your dress because… I gained a lot of weight recently," Kat lied poorly. Hermione snorted. "D-don't fat shame me!"

While this was fun, Lily supposed she shouldn't let her daughters fight. She tried not to laugh as she said, "You know, I really liked Narcissa's dress on you, Kat."

"She didn't burst into flames when she tried it on?" Hermione asked, only lightly sprinkling on some sarcasm.

"You did?" Kat tapped her chin. Good thing she didn't try to pursue a career in acting. "Maybe I should try it on again. Maybe."

"Are you sure it will still fit?" Hermione teased. "You did say you gained _a ton_ of weight."

Lily couldn't let Hermione have all the fun. "I really don't mind that you don't like my dress, Kat. Hermione can always wear it."

Subtly wasn't her darling daughter's strong suit either. "HA!"

* * *

"I figured I'd stop by." Pansy's face was bright red with embarrassment and worry. Good. "While I'm packing my things."

Draco was in a foul mood from the moment he realized Pansy had gone. Now he had a cold on top of it. Katherine made his mood worse by declaring it a "man cold." The full moon was in a few days for Merlin's sake! "Oh? Thank you for taking the time to tell me."

Pansy sighed, having the nerve to sound exasperated. "C'mon, Draco."

"C'mon?" he spat. "You've been seeing someone behind my back for years! And then just run off and marry him! He-he can't take care of you—"

"He doesn't need to." Determination made Pansy ball her fists and glare at him. Strong Pansy. It was a sight he wasn't used to seeing much since they were children. "I can take care of myself! And when I can't… He'll be there for me."

"And if he won't?" She couldn't expect him not to ask. She hid this from him for years!

The very thought seemed to offend Pansy. Surely she couldn't trust Weasley that much. "Then I guess I'll let you say, 'I told you so.'"

Draco rolled his eyes. He was angry, but what more could he do? He wanted to tell her to get out of his sight, but he couldn't. She was his best friend. He didn't want to see her right now, but… The thought of losing her made him hesitate to say every hurtful thing he had been sending in the howlers these past few days. "Have fun smelling like dungbombs for the rest of your life."

Pansy smiled, even though the look he was giving her was enough to have Katherine tell him to "check himself" and withhold sex for going on two days. "Thanks, Draco."

"Any time!" he snapped sarcastically. Pansy merely hugged him and left to go pack her things. Stupid Weasley.

* * *

Kat grinned as she peeked at Sirius and Dad while they thought she was getting dressed. It was finally time for the wedding, and finally time to get back at Dad for not telling Mum about the dress for her.

"Go sit down, Padfoot," Dad said obliviously. "We're about to start."

Sirius played dumb. Well, "played" was a strong word. It was rare when Sirius managed to successfully prank Dad. They had to rehearse several times. "What do you mean? It's my turn."

Dad never missed an opportunity to make fun of her poor godfather. "I don't think Narcissa's going to let you try on her dress."

"No." Sirius forced himself to look offended, just like they practiced three bloody times. "You got to walk Kat down the aisle last time. It's my turn."

"It doesn't work like that," Dad said flatly.

"But…" Sirius groaned. "I'm not going to have a daughter! Try as me and Remus might—"

"Hey!" Dad was probably cherry red. "I told you not to tell me about the mechanics of you know what, Padfoot!"

"Look." Sirius put a hand on Dad's shoulder. "It's not my fault that you took your turn when Kat was absolutely miserable. And had a terrible haircut. She's my goddaughter! It's my responsibility to—"

"Yeah if I'm dead!" Dad yelled. "I'm walking her down the aisle, Sirius! Even if I have to break those skinny legs of yours to do it!"

Sirius folded his arms over his chest, doing his best to be firm and not smile. "Maybe we should let Kat decide?"

"Excuse me?" Dad nearly screamed. "Why would she choose you? You reek like wet dog and—"

"I don't know?" Sirius said lightly. "Would she have any reason to be mad at you?"

"No!" Dad spat.

"Well…" Sirius was openly smiling now, but Dad was too angry to notice. "She said something about having to wear Lily's dress when she hated it."

Dad spluttered for several moments until Sirius started laughing. Then, he saw Kat peeking at him through the dressing room door. "God damn it!

Kat ripped open the door to reveal Narcissa's dress and tucked her arm in his. "C'mon Dad! You're holding everything up!"

* * *

She barely remembered what Dad said to her during the trip through the church. Something about how different this was compared to last time.

All thoughts about Chinese food and the dress and magical animals flew out of her head too. She only had eyes for her husband.

They were finally going to get to do it right.

 **Only two weeks this time! ;) Next time, I continue with my ending clichés!**

 **Thank you for reviewing broken barriers and Ern Estine 13624!**

 **broken barriers: You have to be in desktop mode to vote in a poll! And logged in! ;)**

 **So I added another choice to the poll because I have ADHD when it comes to started new stories. I think I might publish the first chapter because I'm a butt. But I will not ignore the poll result! It'll close, and I'll start working on the winning story as soon as I finish this.**

 **The new choice is** _ **Draco Malfoy: The Boy Who Lived.**_ **Check my profile for it! The first chapter is up!**


	19. The More the Merrier

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 19 The More the Merrier

Draco's twenty third birthday party wore Kat out, and she didn't do much else besides eat. It was like every year. Narcissa tried to outdo herself from the previous year, and her husband was obviously embarrassed by everything. Well, Kat wasn't sure Draco was even able to see everything that his mother provided. There was that much stuff.

"I'm in a food coma," Kat muttered sleepily. "But yes. It was me who told your mother that you wanted that puppy portrait."

"Your birthday is in less than two months," he said as he brushed some hair away from her face. "You couldn't have waited?"

"No." Kat refused to open her eyes. "Because I knew from last year that another eating contest with Ron might kill me."

"Hmmm…" He kissed her jaw line, and Kat wondered if she should pull herself out of the food coma. It was his birthday after all. She opened one eye. He could do most of the work. "But there was something that I want but didn't get…"

"Spoiled brat."

"Katherine," he said so seriously she opened her other eye. "I wanted to talk to you about..." He cleared his throat and looked away. "You know. Having a baby."

Kat sat up. The thought hadn't crossed her mind in almost six years. Actually, since Mum made that potion for Draco, she considered him infertile. "Oh."

Draco turned to face her and sighed. "Seeing you have fun with Edward… Listen, I know it's a longshot, but…"

Kat opened her mouth and closed it. This was going to be hard. "You know what Mum said, right?" He nodded and looked away again. "So once she _fixed_ it, I figured… I haven't taken any birth control in about three years."

And not once did she miss a period. His face fell as all the hope left. _Way to go Kat,_ she thought. _It's his birthday._

She was trying to say she gave up before she even gave herself the chance to hope. She didn't even think about it, when Draco obviously had. He was going to be devastated when he finds out that Ron and Astoria are going to pop out a sprog in the winter.

Kat didn't, well tried not to, let herself get jealous of things like that. She had Teddy and Victorie. But she remembered when that little terror Vicky was born. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She looked just like a doll. A Malfoy doll. Her heart ached in the hospital when she had to hand her back to Fleur.

No. She couldn't let herself think like that. Because it wasn't going to happen. "But I wasn't keeping track of ovulation and stuff," she found herself saying. She knew it was wrong. She should be telling him to give up. If it happened, it would be a miracle. One shouldn't expect miracles. "Maybe we just haven't been fucking at the right time."

"So crude…" Some of the hope returned, and Kat felt terrible, but… What if it could happen? "So you want to…?"

"Only because it's your birthday," she joked before breaking out into a tearful smile. "Yes!"

And so it began…

* * *

A year went by. Every month, Kat was disappointed. Draco didn't comment on it, not wanting her to know that he was disappointed too. She was afraid that he'd blame it on himself, so she often started off her period by going out drinking with the unknowing Dad and Sirius.

"Y-you-you know what?" Kat hiccupped. "Mum thinks she's s-s-so smart. What with-with h-her books and big words! But I know plenty of words! Sci-Fi! See! There's a word right there!"

Dad stared at her for nearly two minutes. He didn't know that the brownies Sirius brought were made _special_. "What?"

"I don't know what it means!" Kat roared drunkenly. "I just know it's a word!"

Sirius snickered. "Hey James! How many fingers am I holding up?" He slowly swung his hand back and forth. Dad teetered from side to side, following it with his whole body and not just his eyes. "And Kat, no one knows what you're talking about."

Kat was beginning to think Sirius hadn't been drinking with them, and that his "vodka" was just water. Had he been making fun of them for months? She took another shot so she wouldn't have to worry about it. "I got my period today."

At least that got Sirius back. "Ew! Kat! We're having fun!"

"No we're not!" Kat slurred. "We always get drunk when I get it."

"WHAT?!" both Marauders yelled.

Unfortunately Kat was too drunk to care. "And you know what? Mum thinks that she knows what she's talking about, saying I shouldn't take any fertility potions. WELL that doesn't make any damn sense. Because if I have more eggs ready, there's more of a chance he'll get 'em!"

Sirius put his face in his hands. "All this time… I'm going to throw up!"

Dad sobered up a bit as he processed her words. "Do it."

"PRONGS!" Sirius screamed, causing the Leakey's other patrons to stare.

Dad waved him off. "Not _that._ Take the potion, Kat. It's called taking a risk. Mum doesn't know everything." He paused and looked around to make sure Mum didn't hear, even though she was probably sound asleep at home. Maybe he wasn't as sober as she thought. "Maybe _you're_ right."

Kat bit her lip and traced her finger around her shot glass. She was just complaining. Mum was a healer. She knew better. "I don't know… If there's no point…"

"If there's no point in doing it," Dad pressed, "then there's no point in not. You have the money to get the best potion out there. If it doesn't work, at least you won't wonder."

Kat shrugged, feeling dejected. She wouldn't wonder because she knew it wasn't going to work. Then, her buzz took over. It was nearly morning. Places would be opening soon. "You're right! Mum doesn't know shit!"

Dad jumped, and his eyes popped out of his head. "Shush! She'll hear us!"

Mum was hundreds of miles away. The brownies must be making him paranoid… Should she really trust her drunk and high father's advice over her healer mother's? Oh well. Dad was right. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

"You're going to get me up the duff tonight!" Kat sang as she crawled into bed a few weeks later. Even though she was sober, she took the potion she bought after Tom kicked them out of the Leakey Cauldron. It was going to work. She just knew it.

"Oh really?" Draco grinned as he pinned her arms to the headboard. He didn't know about the potion. Maybe she'd tell him if it worked because she knew he wouldn't agree now. For some reason, he was rather adamant about following a healer's advice. "Maybe I'm not in the mood."

Kat narrowed her eyes. She was already impatient. Because this was _it_. "Shut up and fuck me."

"Say please," he teased. "I want to hear you beg."

"It's going to work tonight," she said seriously. He stopped mid-laugh. "I just know it."

"Do you?" He swallowed nervously and then freed her wrists. "And if it doesn't?"

She'd buy those potions until she was bankrupt. But potion or not, she just knew. She tried to smile and make his fears melt away, but she was too nervous. "There's always next month."

He kissed her slowly. He was hesitant, but she didn't let him give up. They were going to have a baby. She just knew it.

* * *

A few weeks later, Kat stared at the calendar. She knew her numbers, but still spent the last hour counting and recounting in her office. She shouldn't say anything… She was only a day late, after all. These things weren't exactly _exact_ were they?

With a sigh, Kat picked up her bag and headed for the floo to go home. She'd wait a week. If she took a test, and it was negative… Well, she'd worry about it next week.

* * *

Narcissa knew. She stared Kat down as she ate, which made her rather uncomfortable. Draco furrowed his eyebrows but said nothing. Kat felt like a sardine being stared at by a hungry shark.

"How are you, Katherine?" Narcissa simpered. They saw each other every day!

"Good…" Kat shoved a huge forkful of food in her mouth, her usual defense for being forced to talk to her monster-in-law.

Narcissa laughed, almost to herself. "The house elves are much less skittish than they usually are at this time of the month."

Kat felt her eyes pop out of her head. Was nothing sacred?! Draco frowned, not getting it even though this had been going on for over a year. "Oh? That's, er, interesting."

"Don't you usually go out drinking with your father on the second week of the month, Katherine?" Narcissa pressed. Draco froze with his fork practically in his open mouth.

"We're eating, Cissa," Lucius said, sounding as bored as usual. "I don't want to hear about Katherine's _cycle._ Potter is on business in Italy this month. That is all."

As usual when she for some stupid reason suspected, Narcissa's face fell, and Kat might as well have murdered a baby seal in front of her. But that was the least of Kat's worries. Dad wasn't in Italy.

"Yeah," Kat said slowly. Lucius's expression remained bored. "He said he'd bring me back some spaghetti. Chef Boyardee."

"Oh." The sadness in Narcissa's voice almost made Kat feel bad, almost. It was her husband that was the bloody sociopath anyway. "I-I'm sorry, Katherine, I thought…"

Kat shrugged as Draco started to flush with anger. Great. This would be the one time his mother's pushiness bothered him. "Can you leave her alone, for once?"

"I-I…" Narcissa paled, and Lucius finally had a hard time keeping a straight face. Kat sunk in her seat, feeling awful.

"We'll tell you when it happens," he spat. " _If_ it happens. And if it doesn't, who bloody cares?!"

Kat put her face in her hands as he threw his napkin down and stomped off. Maybe she couldn't wait a week. He was going to kill her.

* * *

"H-hey." Katherine of all people felt guilty. Mother couldn't let anything go, even the most subtle things. His poor wife couldn't even oversleep without his stupid mother suspecting.

When Katherine thought this would be _it,_ he had believed her. He thought it was some sort of Mother's Intuition. But then again, she wasn't a mother. Because of him. Then, he tried not to think about it, and he was rather successful until dinner tonight. Katherine never brought up when she menstruated because she didn't want him to blame himself. Even though it was his fault.

"I'm sorry." Perhaps they shouldn't live with his parents anymore. It was tradition, but it was also that he didn't want to feel lonely when Katherine was working late or spending time with her friends. "Maybe we should stay with your parents."

"It's not that big of a deal," Katherine said awkwardly. She must feel really bad, if she was giving up on a chance to live with her parents instead of his godawful ones.

"I know how disappointed you get when…" Draco sighed. "And you can't even forget about it with your father like you usually do. And Mother threw it in your face like that…"

"My dad's not in Italy." Katherine had the look on her face of a child who had gotten caught lying.

"Why would your dad lie to my dad?" Draco said, feeling stupid as soon as the words flew out of his mouth. She meant… "You're pregnant?"

Katherine's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know. It's been a _fucking_ day. I felt like if I said anything, I would jinx it."

"You can't hide anything from Mother," Draco joked, despite the lump forming in his throat. "Look… Even if it's a not true, I'd want to know. I know how hard it'll be, but…"

"I wanted to take a test next week." Katherine forced herself to smile. "So, if you know, your schedule's clear."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'll see."

Katherine wiped her eyes. It was more nerves than anything else. "Don't tell your mum."

After tonight? Draco would probably be begging for forgiveness for the next week. The last thing he wanted to do was prove her right. He winced at the thought. "Deal."

* * *

Kat had never felt a week go by slower. She probably made it worse by bitching and moaning that she couldn't wait for the weekend every damn day. _Don't wish your life away,_ her eighty year old secretary told her. She'll wish whatever she damn well pleased. At least she wasn't antsy enough to say that out loud…

On Friday, Kat practically flew out of the office. Draco was in his last year of law school, and of course he had an evening class tonight. Human Rights. What his thesis was based on.

With an over dramatic groan, she threw herself on the sofa. She wanted to wait until tomorrow, but the suspense was killing her.

"Why'd you have to be such a nerd?" Kat muttered to herself. Two hours. He would be gone for two more bloody hours. Who would want to be in the same class for hours on end?

"Katherine." She opened one eye to see Narcissa. With a bottle of wine and two glasses. Great. "I wanted to apologize."

"Er…" This was a trap. It had to be a trap. That's what she got for living with three Slytherins. "I'm waiting Draco."

"He won't be home for two hours, sweetheart." Narcissa smiled sadly. "I know this has been a tough year for you, and I'm sure I didn't make it any easier."

"Well…" She knew. She totally knew. Narcissa Malfoy didn't apologize. That was why she had the wine. She wanted Kat to say it. "It-it's okay. I'm not really… in the mood to drink. L-let's just have dinner."

All the sadness left Narcissa's now evil smile. "Yes, let's."

Kat couldn't help but think she fell further into the trap…

* * *

Draco came home exhausted but in a good way. He stayed behind an extra hour so he could get lecture notes for the next week. He liked to try to always be ahead in case there was one particularly bad full moon. Some professors didn't mind while others thought of it as extra work and hated him for it. He was lucky to get a nice one for his Friday night class.

"Oh Draco, darling, you're home!" Mother. She had been rather cold towards him all week, once the initial guilt wore off. The house elves must be spying for her. As of tomorrow, Katherine was a week late. She must know. "Katherine seems to be a bit under the weather. The fish and onions we served at dinner did not seem to suit her."

"Is she okay?" Draco tried his best to sound concerned and not excited. The smell of the… wait a minute. "Why'd you serve fish and onions for dinner?"

Mother blinked in feigned bewilderment. "Why not? You've never been picky. Katherine will eat anything. Anyway, the family healer will be over shortly. I hope she isn't sick for the weekend. She seemed to be looking forward to it…"

Draco stared. She really was enjoying this, wasn't she? Father must have cracked under the pressure. Draco was surprised that he was still alive.

Speak of the devil. Father seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Let them have this, Cissa."

Mother turned around to face him, still playing dumb. "Have what?"

Father raised his eyebrows. "Cissa."

Draco slipped out while he had the chance. The few times he remembered his parents arguing wasn't pretty. Somehow Mother always won while making Father think he had and feel incredibly guilty at the same time. He really didn't want to be on the losing side…

* * *

It was seven at night, and Katherine was sound asleep. Draco laughed until he realized that she was hugging his pillow and tangled in the blanket so elaborately that he couldn't possibly get any without waking her. She moaned when he sat on the edge of it. He really didn't want to sleep in a guest room right now.

"Fuck you," Katherine mumbled in her sleep before turning her back to him and taking the blankets with her. Draco laughed, causing her to whine again. He doubted she would remember in the morning.

Hopefully they'd be too busy celebrating.

* * *

Kat woke up around noon, even though she wanted to wake up at the butt crack of dawn. She wanted to get up early just like… Just like the first time.

With a sigh, she headed for the bathroom. That had been on her mind a lot this past week. She was waiting to wake up to blood everywhere. How many weeks until the full moon? Her heart started to pound at the thought. What if Mum's potion malfunctioned? What if that was the only reason—?

"You're finally awake," Draco said quietly as she tried to ignore her inner panic. She couldn't let him know what she was afraid of. "Mother has the healer coming again around dinner. Father's still hiding from their previous _discussion_ last night."

"Hmmm…" Kat leaned against the doorway of their bathroom. That was another thing. Ever since Draco registered as a werewolf, Lucius was so distant that she was surprised her husband wanted anything to do with him. Now, all of the sudden, he was going out of his way to defend them from the mother of all mother-in-laws.

"So…" He flushed and pulled out a small cardboard box. "Even though I looked like a bloody idiot trying to pay at that Muggle store, I figured…"

Just like that first time. It was only seven years ago, but Kat felt like a lifetime had passed. They were just kids back then.

"Are you going to freak out?" _Like last time._ Kat grinned despite the dull ache settling in her chest. "Because obviously…"

"Obviously my mother is part demon." But he was smiling too. "Of course. My hands were shaking at the store. As I accidently gave them five times what the test actually cost."

"I bet you held up the line too." Before they could waste any more time, Kat took the box and quietly shut the bathroom door.

"What if its negative?" Katherine asked for the tenth time in nine minutes and a half minutes. "Then we have to take it again with your mum's healer."

"Katherine—"

"Because you know she won't trust it because it's Muggle."

"Katherine—"

"Then we'll have to hear that we aren't having a baby twice."

"Katherine—"

"And what if she makes him double check and do it again! You know she's the type to do that."

"But—"

"So we'll have to go through it three times in one day. Because that fish smelled bad enough to make anyone sick."

"KATHERINE!"

"What?" She was already devastated. Or maybe she was trying to prepare herself. Either way…

"I hope stupidity and blindness isn't genetic," he said dryly. In the middle of her little tirade, two pink lines formed on the pregnancy test. Draco felt his heart swell after she finally stopped her nervous babble and lit up.

"Oh my God." She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my God! We're having a baby!"

Somehow, even though he knew a minute before she did, her words made him release the breath he was holding. For that moment, everything was perfect. They kissed and held each other on the bathroom floor for a good hour before they spent the rest of the day trying to keep a straight face in front of his parents. He should've known that shit would hit the fan a few weeks later.

* * *

"Dad!" Kat sent a letter this morning saying that she and her ferret husband were coming over for dinner. James hit his head on the table when Kat called him ten minutes before they were supposed to arrive. After yelping, he reluctantly came out from Draco's place at the table. He was planning on charming his chair to collapse as soon as the little fool sat down. "It worked!"

"What?" James had a number of traps set throughout the house for any unsuspecting victim.

"The potion!" she whispered excitedly. "Remember?"

"No…" Was she talking about when Sirius had spiked his drink a few weeks ago? Or was it his food? He should know better than to consume anything Sirius made himself.

Kat looked around to make sure no one else was nearby. "I'm pregnant! And I probably wouldn't be if you didn't convince me to take it!"

"Oh." James chewed on his lip as he vaguely remembered what his daughter was talking about. " _Oh!_ "

"Don't tell Mum!" She giggled, happier than James had seen her in a while. "I might use it again in a few years!"

"Katherine?" Kat straightened up at the sound of her husband's voice. From the look on her face, Draco didn't know about the potion either. Luckily he was distracted by the cotton candy blue goop that had found its way to his head. The git raised a thin, goop covered eyebrow. "You didn't wait until dinner to tell him, did you?"

Kat shook her head. "I can't wait! MUM! WE'RE HAVING A BABY!"

Draco sighed but was smiling to follow her from wherever Lily was freaking out. James laughed to himself and went back to work under the table. He wondered when they'd tell Sirius and if Kat would keep up her quadruplet joke from back when this whole mess stared. He couldn't wait to torture his best friend.

* * *

It was the full moon, the first one since they knew. So, naturally, he was a nervous wreck, his parents were, and Katherine's parents seemed to move in without an invitation. Not that he cared. Katherine was so sick she couldn't get out of bed.

"I take it every day," Draco said loudly, his voice a higher pitch than usual. "Even now that she's…"

"You can't get yourself so worked up, Kat," Mrs. Potter said gently as she ran her hands through her daughter's hair. "Want to try to drink some water?"

Katherine shook her head before covering it with a pillow. For the first full moon in over five years, Father put a hand on his shoulder. "We have to go downstairs in a few minutes."

"It's all in your head, sweetie," Mother tried to say and was rewarded with a loud sob from Katherine. "We'll stay up all night with you. Your father is getting that-that thing with the funny pictures on it."

"Here." Mrs. Potter fumbled in her bag and pulled out something that resembled a horn. "Let's listen to the heartbeat, and we'll listen again after he goes downstairs. Maybe you'll feel better after that."

That finally drew the dragon out. With a sniffle, Katherine sat up and wiped her tear soaked face. "But last time—"

"Last time was different," Mrs. Potter said firmly. "Let me find it and then I'll cast a _Sonorus_."

A minute went by. Then another. Draco wasn't sure if he'd make it down the stairs. His shoulder was just aching to snap as he watched Mrs. Potter put the device over Katherine's abdomen.

"You know what?" Mrs. Potter had tears in her eyes, but thankfully, she was smiling. "I think you're having twins. There's definitely more than one heartbeat in there! No wonder you're so sick!"

Relief flooded through him, but Katherine paled. It had to be shock. They had wanted this for so long, and now they were having twins!

Just as he was about to pull himself away, she asked, "Are-are you sure there's just two?"

She must really be in shock, Draco thought happily as he turned to leave. Mrs. Potter laughed as he headed out the door. "Katherine, triplets is unheard of in our world! Now will you calm down and get some rest?"

"Y-yes."

Draco headed for the dungeons with a smile despite the pain. He should've known there was a reason for Katherine's sudden, seemly odd worry. His wife was a snake in lion's clothing.

* * *

Kat started to show rather quickly after that. Within two weeks, she was in maternity clothes. Everyone was over the moon, and she tried to smile though it all. Dad gave her a knowing smile every once and a while, making Kat want to bang her head against the wall. That potion made her hyper-ovulate.

What if there was like _ten_ in there? Kat found herself having nightmares of miscarrying ten babies at once, and she really wished she could chalk it up to the hormones like everyone else was. But she didn't know for sure and was too afraid to ask. She was going to lose them all and it was her fault.

"We're seeing your mum first thing in the morning," Draco said tiredly when she woke up screaming and crying for the third night in a row. "Maybe you have some sort of in balance or—"

"They're all going to die because of me!" she sobbed. There was definitely more than two. She just knew it. This could have been their only chance, and she blew it.

"Your mother checked you a hundred times!" Draco said in exasperation. "You're perfectly healthy and so are the babies. _Both_ of them. Not all of them."

Kat shook her head and cried herself to sleep for the third night in a row. This was all her fault.

* * *

"Hopefully this will help," Draco whispered tiredly. Kat opened one eye to find that Draco was talking to Mum outside their bedroom door. "Normally, I would be wary of this sort of thing but…"

"It's perfectly safe," Mum insisted. "It's anxiety. She's still traumatized from the two miscarriages. With this, she'll be able to see that there's only two. But I will still do a blood test."

Kat flung off the covers and rushed to the bathroom. She did her morning rituals agonizingly slowly. She took a shower instead of just washing her face, shaved, and even flossed every single one of her teeth before Draco had had enough and started pounding on the door.

"Katherine! It's been nearly an hour! You're being incredibly rude."

Was she a Gryffindor or not? After taking a deep breath, Kat opened the door to face her mother and husband. Mum had some weird machine with her that had a screen that resembled a television.

Mum did her best to smile and took a black piece of paper out of her pocket. "I snuck off and had one before you were born. See? There's you little nose. It's called a sonogram, Kat. We'll be able to see your babies with it."

"Yay…" Kat sat on the bed and tried to keep a happy look on her face. Draco frowned and for good reason. She was sure she looked guilty.

Mum sensed it too but tried to ignore it as she flipped Kat's shirt up and squeezed some weird goo on her stomach. "Your dad really liked this, actually. We'll do one in a few months, when they'll start looking like babies and not little blobs. See! There's one right there!"

Kat gulped as Draco grinned and squeezed her hand. Then Mum found another. And another. And another. Four little blobs showed up on the screen.

There was a tense silence as the world seemed to stop. Draco wrapped his arms around her shoulders and whispered something along the lines of, "It's going to be okay."

Mum, however, was much smarter and was quickly putting the pieces together. "KATHERINE LILY POTTER!"

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, amata0221, gr8rockstarrox, and Vi38!**

 **Anyone see this coming? ;)**

 **gr8rockstarrox: Did you check out my other story** _ **Who is June Potter?**_ **I was full of angst when I wrote it. ;) But sorry,** _ **Potter Girls**_ **is winning. :P**


	20. Do You Think This Is Funny?

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 20 Do you Think this is Funny?

Four was better than ten, right? Kat barely heard Mum yell at her. Could she carry four? So far, except for some extreme nausea, she felt fine.

"WAS THIS YOUR IDEA?" When Mum started to round on Draco, Kat forced herself to pay attention. Her poor husband had no clue. "You felt so guilty that you made her take a potion? Like that would make everything better? Do you know how high risk this is? Do you?!"

Draco paled, and it took him a minute to process what she said. "Potion? Katherine… We didn't take anything!"

Mum narrowed her eyes. Was it possible for this to happen without a potion? Maybe she didn't _have_ to say anything. "Then," Mum seethed, "how do you explain _this?_ "

"I-I…" Draco shook his head, seeming to be on the brink of the panic attack. "I-I don't know! I thought we-that we were lucky with twins but…" He tensed when he realized how quiet she was. "You didn't."

Kat bit her lip and looked down at her stomach. She looked more like twenty weeks, not twelve. "I thought… It made sense at the time…" When she was drunk. "Are they going to be okay?"

Mum's mouth hung open for a moment. She covered her mouth with her hands and thought for a moment. Kat thought she was trying to push her anger down and be reassuring. She didn't expect her to say, "I don't know. Why did you do this, Kat? You're twenty four years old. It's not like you were running out of time."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kat said loudly. Mum was supposed to know everything. "You said the other day that they were healthy!"

"I'm talking about the future, Kat!" Mum yelled. "There's no way you're going to make it to full term! Your body's not built for this! You could go into labor next week, for all I know!"

Kat glanced at Draco for comfort, but he merely clenched his fists and looked straight ahead. Honestly, she didn't blame him. "But…"

Mum sat at the edge of her bed, deep in thought. "I need you to make it to twenty six weeks. I'll put you on steroids at twenty four… Oh God, Kat! Whatever made you think this was a good idea?"

Kat shrugged and used the blanket to wipe the goo off her belly. She pulled her shirt down and put a hand over her stomach. "I thought… I thought that if I was ovulating more than one egg, that one of them was bound to get fertilized."

Mum shrugged and tried not to be angry, so she only sounded annoyed. Really, really annoyed. "You probably would have gotten pregnant either way. I told you. That there might be a random time where his body will not try to produce mutated sperm."

That made Draco snap. "You couldn't be patient for once in your life, Katherine? I'd rather have no children than four more dead ones!"

Kat squeezed her eyes shut when he stomped off and slammed the door behind him. She barely listened as Mum told her to take it easy, eat as much as possible, and that it would be a good idea to stop working for a while. Draco was right.

* * *

"Everything alright?" Narcissa was happier than Kat had seen her in a long time as she watched Kat sulk at the dinner table. Draco wasn't talking to her. "You really should eat, darling. Those babies aren't going to feed themselves."

"Yes, Katherine," Draco spat. "You have a fucking Quidditch team to feed!"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" The poor woman had no idea. Kat sunk into her seat and shoved a piece of broccoli in her mouth. "Lucius! Tell your son that this is no way to speak to his wife! Especially in her condition!"

"Yeah," Kat said weakly as Draco became absolutely livid.

Lucius pretended not to be listening. "What was that, Cissa?"

"Why don't you tell them?" Draco snarled. "Why you're as big as a bloody cow!"

"Draco!"

"THIS COULD'VE BEEN OUR ONLY CHANCE!" he screamed before throwing down his napkin and storming off once again.

Two pairs of pale eyes settled on her. Kat forced herself to smile, and say flatly, "I'm having quadruplets! Yay…"

Narcissa fainted.

* * *

Father knocked tentatively on Draco's office door and entered even though he ignored him. He just wanted to sulk. How could he get the grieving over with if it didn't even happen yet?

"Your mother's right," he said quietly. He had yet to enter his office and awkwardly stood in the doorway. When was the last time they had a conversation that Mother hadn't forced?

"She doesn't know what Katherine did," he said bitterly. They could've had a healthy baby.

"Yes because she fainted before your _lovely_ wife could explain." Father snorted. "Clearly Katherine didn't inherit her mother's brains."

"I can't do it." Draco threw his quill down. He didn't even know what he was writing. "I can't just sit there and wait for it to happen!"

" _If_ it happens," Father pressed. "And if it does, do you really want to be angry with her? To yell at her after four babies die inside of her? You know what it's like to blame yourself for something like this."

"This time it actually is her fault!" Draco snapped, feeling horrible as soon as the words left his mouth. He was angry with her but… He didn't know what he would've done if she had blamed him for the other miscarriages. "I hate her."

Father raised his eyebrows. Not even he believed him. "Fourteen weeks isn't a long time. Try not to stress her out."

* * *

"Hey." Katherine tried to smile as she leafed through a magazine. "Two hours of taking it easy, and I'm already bored."

"Did you eat dinner?" he said hoarsely.

"Yes. And I think I managed to keep half of it down." Katherine rubbed circles over her belly and tried to blink back tears. "I _feel_ fine."

"Maybe it will be alright," he lied. He couldn't bring himself believe it. That was why he was so on edge. They were just waiting for it to happen. "Do you want some toast?"

Katherine nodded even though she wrinkled her nose at the thought of food. He had never been so angry with her.

* * *

"Honestly!" Lily ranted for a good hour after she returned home, and as day turned to night, she still hadn't gotten over it. James was just glad that his name wasn't brought up. Poor Kat. "Whatever would've given her such an idea?"

James shrugged. "She's young… And you won't think it's such a dumb idea when all the sprogs are born!"

Lily raised her eyebrows and started cutting up her broccoli. She was so angry that everything on her plate was shredded, even the mash potatoes. "If they're all born alive," she said darkly. "And you know she's probably going to have to be in the hospital for at least a month. And the babies even longer."

"It'll turn out alright," James said without trying to sound suspicious. There was no sense in both of them being in trouble.

"You know what's funny?" Lily asked. She had yet to eat her food and was still cutting her meal into smaller and smaller pieces. "I asked her what potion she used, and she used the same one I tried after we had her. Isn't that _funny_ , James?"

"Hilarious." Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! James forced himself to laugh, but it sounded more like a wheeze. "Can you imagine four more of Kat running around? I'm not sure if the Manor would still be standing."

"Hmmm…" Lily finally put a forkful of food into her mouth. She even chewed angrily. "Kat doesn't know the first thing about potions. I wonder how she knew what to buy."

"You'll have to ask her." _Please don't ask her!_ "But try not to be too angry with her, Lils. Or she might just fire you."

"Do you think this is funny?" Lily yelled, slamming her fork down. "It was finally supposed to turn out alright for her and look what happened!"

James held up his hands in surrender. "I-I barely even remember telling her!"

"You-you…" For a second, James thought that Lily didn't know until just now. Then he replayed his confession in his head. Ooops… "What do you mean you don't remember?"

Well, there was only one thing left to do. "It was all Padfoot's fault!"

"Sirius," Lily said flatly. After a moment, it became clear that she thought he was starting to make things up. "Sirius remembered the potion we bought almost twenty years ago? Sirius made you relay that information to Kat? And then what? Did he club you on the head so you wouldn't remember for good measure?"

James tried to give his best charming smile. "Yes?" Unfortunately, like always, it did nothing to improve his wife's mood. "He gave me the weird brownies! Then Kat was whining, and she brought up her-her _cycle_ , and then Sirius was whining and… It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

"Oh well now it seems perfectly reasonable!" Lily yelled. "C'mon! Let's go to the store and buy Kat four cribs to celebrate!"

"Can we get some toy brooms too?" Too soon? Lily only glared at him. "Well… There's nothing we can do now…"

"And what are you wearing?!" she hissed. James sunk into his seat as Lily continued to tear him a new one. Today was definitely the worst day to try out his new _World's Greatest Grandpa_ t-shirt. And guess who went to the Muggle world to get it for him? Sirius _Fucking_ Black.

* * *

They had the perfect life. They were both workaholics, meaning they were together almost twenty four seven. Everything he needed was right in front of him. Percy couldn't be happier.

"I was given an opportunity," Hermione announced one day when she was filing. She had made partner after finishing law school two years ahead of schedule. "For an internship with the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Percy knew this day was coming. Hermione wasn't exactly someone who didn't get opportunities. She was someone who didn't even have to apply for them. He tried to keep his voice as level as possible. "Oh? When do you start?"

"Who says I took it?" Hermione's lips quirked into a smile.

"You?" Percy laughed, and hoped she didn't hear the bitterness in it. "You've wanted this ever since you learned what the Ministry of Magic was. This…" He gestured to the office they shared. "…is but a stepping stone."

"Really?" Hermione folded her arms over his chest and appeared to be laughing at him. This was far from funny. Over the past couple of years, he had grown spoiled. He didn't want to go back to having stolen moments with her here and there. "I've been quite happy here."

"I know but…" It wasn't the _Ministry_. Most of their work was pro bono. They did their best to help those who felt that they couldn't be helped, and although they were always in the newspaper, this wasn't the next step to becoming Minister. They both knew that, but somehow, Percy found himself content.

"I feel… fulfilled." Hermione chewed on her lower lip and shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm so disappointed with myself for saying no. But… helping people with you… it just feels _right_ …"

"You said no?" Percy said in disbelief. Hermione didn't say no. She took on too much until things blew up in her face. Never could he recall her saying no to extra work without even trying. "You turned them down?"

"Yes." Hermione smirked. "After saying yes at first… Then, I thought about leaving here. About how this client would be my last and… It felt so _wrong_. Then saying no felt wrong. Like I was going against my plan. But staying the thought of staying here another year felt so exciting! I don't know how to explain—"

He was across the room and kissing her before she could finish. He had been afraid that she was staying for him. Then, she would regret it for the rest of her life. She would resent him and feel like she gave her life away for him. But hearing that she wanted to stay, that working with him was exciting, not obligatory... He had never loved her more.

* * *

"Oh my God!" At Katherine's exclamation at dinner a month later, Draco started choking. He was too busy wheezing to realize that she was excited. "Oh my God!"

"Draco!" Mother rushed over to him as if he were the one that was dying. He probably looked the part. He barely slept through the past four weeks and was one bad grade away from flunking out of his current set of classes. And now it was happening.

Katherine had tears in her eyes when he managed to catch his breath. But she was smiling as she wiped her eyes. "I can feel them kicking!"

And like that, Mother gave up on trying to give him the Heimlich even though he had managed to swallow his string beans and rushed over to Katherine. Draco stared as Mother hugged her and put her hands over her belly while Katherine became as awkward as if Mother just spat in her face.

They still had ten weeks to go before they _might_ survive. Two and a half months. He couldn't let himself get caught up in the moment.

* * *

"I… want to name them," Kat said shyly three weeks later as Draco sunk into bed. No matter what, she wanted to name them. "I love them."

Draco was still afraid. No, he was still _convinced_. Kat, not so much. She warded off the spare room next to hers. She didn't want him to see that she was starting to buy things. "We have plenty of time…"

"Yeah." Or maybe they didn't. Kat didn't know what to think, but whenever she felt that flicking sensation under her skin, she had hope. "Do you want me to talk to your professors? That last grade you got…"

"I don't care about school." He loved school.

Kat grinned. "Or better yet, I'll get Mum to talk to him."

That put some life back into him. Hell hath no fury like Lily Potter. Not Lily Potter scorned. Just Lily Potter in general. "Please don't."

Kat pulled him into a kiss, hoping to bring some more of him back. He leaned into her but tensed when she pressed herself against him. "Did you feel that?" she asked when he pulled away. "They're really active at night."

Draco forced himself to smile. "Less than two months…"

Kat ran her hand through his hair until he fell asleep. They were going to make it. She just knew it.

 **Thank you Ern Estine 13624 and gr8rockstarrox for the reviews!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: It was more of a play on the joke in the beginning when she was telling Sirius she really got married because she was having quadruplets. ;) I was just going to be lazy and go with the names of the first four kids in KtG. Although the one of them is new. But if you have suggestions, go for it. I'm kind of done with this story. :P Like two or three chapters left!**

 **Watch out** _ **Potter Girls**_ **fans!** _ **Draco Malfoy: The Boy Who Lived**_ **is only one vote behind! Maybe if** _ **Potter Girls**_ **loses, I'll post an unpublished, completed fic I have of Draco and Kat going through the teen pregnancy cliché. ;)**

 **By the way, there's a new chapter of** _ **Draco Malfoy: The Boy Who Lived**_ **that I posted for Christmas.**


	21. The War of the Grandparents

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 21 The War of the Grandparents

"Katherine wake up!"

"Fuck no!" Everything made Kat exhausted, including being woken up. The only thing that got her out of bed besides a full bladder was…

"I made breakfast!" Mother fucker. After everything that happened, Kat never thought she'd want to complain about being pregnant. The fact that Draco was uncharacteristically chipper soured her mood even further. "It's nearly noon."

"Nearly?" Kat whined as she heaved herself up. "At least give me until the pm! Jerk."

"You might want to get ready. Your parents are coming over for dinner." They always came over for dinner. And Draco seemed too excited for Dad's continuous, usually taken too far, pranks. "Do you know what day it is?"

As usual, Kat was too focused on the food to care. When she bit into her waffle, she cringed. Egg shells. "You really did make this yourself, didn't you?"

"Are you even listening to me?" he halfheartedly chided. "You're twenty six weeks today, you dolt!"

"Really?" The days really did blend together when you sat around doing nothing. Finally everyone could stop being so on edge. Draco could stop acting like a kicked puppy, and more importantly, stop blaming her.

"Can't you tell?" he teased as he patted her stomach. Six and a half years pregnant felt more accurate than six and a half months. "Your mum's hoping you can make it another month, but…"

They'd likely survive if they were born now. Kat grinned. In her mind, this confirmed that everything was going to be okay. Now it was time for the real fun to begin.

* * *

"So we were thinking," Mum said over dinner. Usually, she was quiet because she was running diagnostic spells under the table and didn't want Kat to know. "You two are going to be needing a lot of help over the next few months. Over the next year even."

One of the perks of being pregnant with so many babies was everyone expected her to constantly be eating. Kat figured this was one of the best times to keep her mouth too full to talk. They probably wanted to move in. Dad and Lucius still didn't get along.

"Of course, but that's what house elves are for," Narcissa said smoothly when Lucius tensed at the thought of living with Dad for a year. Kat shoved half a roll in her mouth. Dad made a funny face, which nearly made her choke with the effort not to laugh.

Mum took a sip of her wine. This was getting serious. "Yes. But I think it would be beneficial if they were to live with a healer. And perhaps a home with a bit more warmth to it."

It was worse than she thought. Kat looked at her plate in dismay. She was starting to feel rather full…

Narcissa plastered a fake smile on her face. "Katherine seems to be comfortable where she is. Isn't that right, sweetie?"

"Uh…" It was the one time she didn't have to pee. "Pass the asparagus."

Draco rolled his eyes when Dad dumped nearly the entire bowl on her plate with an evil smile. Great. "I don't think this is the time to be worrying about such things. Moving is too stressful."

"Exactly," Narcissa practically purred. "Katherine can barely walk. Do you think she has it in her to pack all her things and move?"

"Hey!"

"Let them fight amongst themselves," Draco whispered in her ear. She could walk just fine! She just waddled a bit. _A bit._

"We could do everything for her," Mum pressed. "What if she starts not feeling well in the middle of the night? Or what if she and Draco are sick at the same time? We should have done this months ago."

"That's what the emergency room is for," Narcissa said lightly.

"Once she enters, she might not leave until the babies are born," Mum said darkly. "St. Mungo's wants her now, actually." Now that was a boldfaced lie. Who knew Mum was such a snake?

"Let them have her." Stupid Lucius.

"Maybe it's better for Kat to come home then!" Dad spat.

"I think it's time for me to go to bed," Kat announced as she heaved herself from her seat. Draco moved to help her, but she had a feeling it was because he wanted to flee too.

"At home," Dad snapped. "This is no place to raise children. How are they going to run around? This place is like a museum."

Narcissa looked at him like he was nuts. "Running is for outside."

"But—"

"Just keep moving," Draco growled in her ear. He put his hand on the small of her back and pretended to be helping her along. "We don't want to get into this. Trust me."

"See Kat disagrees!"

Draco was definitely right…

* * *

The following week, Team Malfoy was in full throttle when they threw a baby shower. Kat had never seen so many presents. There was even a life sized family of stuffed lions in an effort to suck up to her.

"Are you sure there's only one in there?" Poor, stupid Sirius. He eyed the four lion cub stuffed animals suspiciously but still wasn't sure. "Because…"

"Because what, Sirius?" Kat snapped, pretending to be hormonal. "Are you calling me fat? At my own baby shower?"

"Never mind! Never mind…" Sirius held his hands up in surrender and backed away. Sucker.

With an exasperated sigh, Draco walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Mother wants you to get started on the forty gifts she bought them."

Ten for each. Wow. Kat tried not to smile as she saw Mum in the background writing a list down for Dad. Apparently the toy brooms weren't going to cut it. And… "Is that a throne?"

"She wanted you to be comfortable," Draco said dryly. "Because it's going to be a while."

Kat chuckled and rubbed her hands together. "I'm going to milk this for all it's worth."

"Of course you are."

"Your dragon fruit, Mistress." Katherine, being the asshole that she was, had Mother give her a house elf for bringing her food. Then, she got one from her mother to rub her back. In retaliation, Mother gave her one give her manicures and pedicures. Draco was going to strangle the next one that came along.

"Oh." Katherine wrinkled her nose. She was lying down, propped up with pillows and having her nails done. "That's what they look like? Okay. Send it back. I want cake with peanut butter instead of icing."

"Yes, Mistress!"

"You're enjoying this a little too much." Draco smirked as Katherine didn't even pretend to look guilty. "At least your chewed up finger nails will look decent for once."

"Is that a fat joke?" She acted like everything Father said was a fat joke, so Mother would get mad at him. "I feel so gross… I think Ginny's coming over today."

"Oh joy."

"And Mum and Dad."

"If they bring another elf…"

Katherine pulled him into a kiss and then started kissing his neck. Then his shoulder. It had been a while since they had done anything, because of, well, the _mechanics_ were becoming a bit difficult. Therefore, Draco was almost too caught up in the moment to hear her whisper, "I've always wanted a house elf to do my hair."

"KATHERINE!"

* * *

"Ew. I think I see them moving. You look so… _grotesque._ " How could he have forgotten how much he hated Ginevra?

"Thank you," Katherine said, almost proudly.

Ginevra only looked even more revolted. "I'm so glad that can't happen to me… Have you thought of any names yet?" Mother looked up from the baby catalog she had been obsessing over for the past six months.

Katherine glanced at him, so he forced himself to smile. He was still a nervous wreck, but she was nearly seven months now. Surely everything would turn out alright. "I like Carina. But with a K. Because my name begins with a K."

"You don't say," Ginevra said dryly. "Do you even know if they're boys or girls yet?"

"No." Again, she glanced at him. They didn't find out because he felt like it was jinxing them. "But James Sirius has a nice ring to it. Don't you think?"

"Almost as much as Lucius Severus," Mother cut in, almost venomously. Katherine actually gagged at the thought.

"Sorry we're late!" Speak of the Devil. Mr. Potter had his usual mischievous smile on. Mrs. Potter was always more subtle about hers. "What's this I hear about Lucius Severus? Did you get a new dog?"

"I don't think Lucius would name a dog after himself, James!" But there was a glint in her eyes that told Draco she knew exactly what they were talking about. "Are you having all boys, Kat?"

Mr. Potter blinked in surprise. "I thought you said she was having two boys and two girls."

"JAMES!"

"What?"

"MUM!"

"Oh, so James Sirius and Lucius Severus." Ginevra seemed to be the only one enjoying this moment. She dug into her steak and potatoes with a smirk. "And what? Lily Hermione and Narcissa Bellatrix?"

"Narcissa Druella," Mother corrected, not understanding that it was a joke.

"Well…" Katherine was going to try to go for James Sirius and turn down Lucius Severus. Good luck. "Without Dad and Sirius, we'd only have one baby so…"

"So?" Mother prompted. "So you want to honor your father and godfather for a risky pregnancy?"

"Uh…" After about ten seconds, Katherine gave up and rounded on her own mother. "Mum! I told you we wanted to wait!"

"I can see why," Mrs. Potter said dryly.

Katherine sunk into her seat as the arguing ensued. Yet another moment ruined by their meddling parents.

* * *

"I like Karina," Draco said gently. By the end of the night, Kat's head was killing her, and she was in a rather foul mood. A good ten minutes after the arguing had stopped, Dad joked that he would fake his own death so James Sirius could have his name. Then started things up all over again. "What do you think of Aurora? I can't get that name out of my head for some reason."

Kat put her face in her hands. At this point, she didn't want to discuss names until the sprogs were off to Hogwarts. "I feel sick right now. Can it wait?"

"Of course." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Are you okay?" Before Kat could shake her head, she summoned the rubbish bin and lost her dinner. "L-let's can we get go… I know you don't want to..."

She hadn't been sick in two months. As much as she wanted to say no, Kat nodded, causing Draco to start running around like a chicken with its head cut off. She hated going to the hospital, so he knew that this was serious. Something didn't feel right.

* * *

"I'm prepping you for a cesarean," Lily announced as soon as she looked at Kat's chart. Her blood pressure was so high! "Don't give me that look, Katherine Lily."

"The other healer said to try the potion," Kat snapped, sounding just as fierce as she did. "I just took it. I wanted to give it a few hours. I'm not even—"

"Twenty eight weeks is more than enough," Lily spat, ripping her arm out of her husband's when he tried to grab it in comfort. "I'm not going to sit here and wait—"

"I'm not letting you cut me open!" Kat yelled. "For one, if this works, they could have more time. For two, your hands are shaking! Are you mad?"

She was not going to let her baby get sicker and sicker when she could make it better in less than an hour. "The full moon is next week," she tried. Draco's eyebrows shot up at the blatant manipulation. "Are you really going to risk him missing it? They will be _fine_ , Kat. You could die on the other hand…"

"Lily," James said firmly as Kat's eyes filled with tears. "That's enough."

"I'm not going to allow—" Lily yelped when James finally succeeded in dragging her out of Kat's hospital room. "JAMES!"

"She is doing what's best for her babies, while you are trying to do what's best for yours," he hissed. "Stop scaring her. You're only making it worse. You know what she's going to choose. It's what you would choose."

Lily swallowed back tears. "She's so sick."

"Getting her so worked up is only going to make her sicker," James whispered. "She needs her mum right now. Not her healer. Especially if she's going to have to deliver tonight."

"I think she's going to fire me anyway," Lily tried to joke as she wiped her eyes.

"Well you can't be fired from being her mum." James grinned. "Or she would've done so years ago. Just tell her that everything's going to be okay."

"It's not," Lily cried. When James hugged her, she burst into tears. By the time she got herself together, Kat was okay.

"You're fired," Kat said as soon as Mum came back. Her blood pressure went down, but now Draco wanted her to schedule a C-section for as soon as possible. "…unless you can get me out of here…"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but you're stuck." Mum ran her hands through her hair. "Maybe for the next month, if you keep up with this stubbornness."

"Thanks." The last time she had a long stay in the hospital was when she was recovering from a miscarriage. Kat squeezed her mother's arm. "Stay."

Mum laughed tearfully. "I'd like to see the fool who tries to make me leave."

"I'm staying too!" Narcissa practically barked. For once, Kat was able to laugh at the War of the Grandparents. It was almost as funny as two weeks later when Dad and Lucius got stuck in the elevator trying to outdo each other with more baby gifts.

* * *

James narrowed his eyes as Lucius stepped into the elevator with him. Kat was getting stir crazy, so he had a bag magically stuffed to the brim with all her favorite things. He had another bag filled with baby clothes with funny sayings on them like _I pooped today_. From the scowl on Lucius's face, he could tell that the other man thought that both bags were filled with baby things. His wife was running him ragged with the competition. James was almost sympathetic. Lily bought a carousel the other day.

 _"Warning! The elevator is filled to magical capacity! System shutting down."_

"What?" James said dumbly as the lights went out and the elevator lurched.

"Your charms messed with the charms running the elevator, you bloody idiot!" Lucius shouted. "You can only have so much magic in such a contained space!"

" _My_ charms?" James yelled back. "You got on the damned elevator _after_ me! And you could use a trip up the stairs!"

"Excuse me?"

"Isn't the husband the one who is supposed to gain sympathy weight?" Lucius looked the same as he always did, but James didn't really care. He was about to die in an elevator with the prat. Good thing he packed Kat's favorite snacks and now had an excuse not to share them.

"How dare you? I—" The elevator lurched again, and Lucius screamed, actually screamed like little girl.

"Shame," James said as he shoved a chocolate covered biscuit in his mouth. He chewed as quietly as he could. Sure, it had been less than five minutes, but he was not going to starve to death. "I wanted to die with Sirius."

* * *

"Have you seen Dad?" Kat was bored. So bored that she actually wanted to read the baby shirts that Dad had with the corny jokes.

Hermione stopped mid-sentence and glared at her. When she said she didn't mind being read to, she thought her sister was going to read her a novel, not a textbook! Her eyes were starting to droop. "He said he was stopping by."

"Three hours ago!" Kat whined. "This hospital food is too—"

"Healthy?" Draco drawled. For some reason, he thought high blood pressure could be controlled through diet. Imagine that. "Stop getting him to sneak in food. When I wake up and smell chips in the middle of the night, I don't believe you when you tell me its Mum's feet."

"Katherine!" Mrs. Malfoy looked like Kat had just slapped her in the face.

"I'm pregnant. You have to be nice to me." Kat found herself saying that a lot lately. Being so bored put her in rare form. The worst part was that people tended to fall for it. Well, that's what they got for camping in her room. When she said she wanted everyone to stay, she didn't mean have between three and five people crammed into her room for weeks.

"It is unlike Dad to be this late," Mum said with the slightest bit of worry. "I hope he's not up to something."

"Without me?" Kat couldn't help but pout. She was so big she couldn't even shave her legs. Occasionally she saw a butt poking out of her stomach, and the circles under her eyes made her look like she hadn't slept in days. And now Dad was having fun without her! "Two more hours and we file a missing person's report."

Mum rolled her eyes. "Two more hours and I'll bring him dinner. He probably got caught up with work."

"Don't bring him dinner! He was supposed to…" Kat almost said bring her sweets but stopped when she felt a pair of grey eyes boring into her soul. "Hang out with me. He deserves to starve."

"I'm bringing you a _salad_ ," Draco said evilly.

"No!"

"With grilled chicken instead of bacon." The monster!

* * *

"I always thought you and Draco would make up before you died." After six hours, Lucius made him share the biscuits, and for that, he must pay.

"We are not fighting," Lucius said coolly.

"Yeah, but you're a prat!" James had wanted that last biscuit. "You resent him for something he can't control. He used to idolize you. Now, he's hesitant to even smile at you."

Lucius was quiet for a while, probably trying to think of an excuse. "I don't like what he is," he admitted. "But I keep my distance, because I know he must blame me. It was my fault after all."

James frowned. That wasn't the case at all. Draco thought his father hated him. Before James could say anything, the lights came back on and a pair of wizards pried open the elevator. Should he intervene?

* * *

Katherine almost made it to thirty two weeks when she shook him awake at three in the morning. At first, he nearly jumped out of his skin until he realized none of the many charms she had on her were going off. He had taken to sleeping in a chair that also served as a bed beside her when it wasn't too close to the full moon.

"Hey." She had a weird, terrified sort of smile on her face. "How's it going?"

"Wonderful," he drawled. If she was about to send him out for another packet of chocolates, he was going to…

"My water broke."

 **One more chapter! Maybe (probably not) two.**

 **Thank you for reviewing Ern Estine 13624, gr8rockstarrox, Cookiemonster, Vi38, and ScarlettMeadow123102!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: You underestimate my laziness. ;) This story didn't turn out as good as it was in my head, so I kind of want to finish it and move on.**

 **Keep voting on the poll, people! You're running out of time!**


	22. Finally

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

Chapter 22 Finally

Narcissa didn't know why James and Lily were being so irritable. This was too exciting to be upset about. In mere moments, they were going to finally be grandparents! James was wearing a path in the floor with all his pacing.

"If you pass by me one more time, I'm going to wring your neck," Lily spat. She didn't take well to Katherine saying she couldn't be involved in the cesarean section.

James stopped and gave her a wounded look. "What if Kat wasn't really pregnant and had a bunch of tumors in her?"

"Tumors with feet and fists to kick and punch her?" Lily yelled. What was wrong with these people?

"Yes!" James yelled back. "You saw her! She looked horrible."

"I'll let her know you said that." Draco appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Even Lucius rose out of his seat in the waiting room in anticipation. Her son's eyes filled with tears, but he smiled. "Everyone's fine."

Narcissa nearly collapsed with relief.

* * *

Kat was in her hospital room by herself as Draco went to tell everyone. In the years to come, she would remember that this was one of the last moments she would be by herself for a while. She smiled to herself as she replayed the high pitched crying in her head. They were strong enough to cry.

Mum burst in within a few moments, making Kat quickly wipe her eyes. It always felt weird to her to cry when she was happy. She even laughed when Mum started running every diagnostic spell under the sun on her.

"You're acting like I gave birth in a barn," Kat laughed. "My wounds are already almost healed."

"If I was your healer, you would already be," Mum said stiffly.

"You really wanted to cut me open didn't you?" Kat grinned. "I knew Hermione was the favorite."

"Well she is willing to eat my cooking." Mum laughed and wiped her eyes before pulling Kat into a hug. Well, she mostly hugged her head until Kat forced herself to make an obnoxious choking noise. "Sorry. I didn't want to squeeze you."

"So you settled for choking me?" Kat rested her head on her mother's shoulder. She didn't think she would be scared _after_ she had the babies. "They're in little incubators."

"Not for long," Mum whispered as she silently conjured a wheelchair. "Are you ready?"

No. After everything that happened, she suddenly didn't feel ready. Good thing Mum was a Gryffindor and wouldn't let her be a coward. Before Kat knew it, she was being levitated into the wheelchair. Mum smirked, but there wasn't any meanness in it. She was finally going to meet her babies.

* * *

"Look how little their hands are," Draco said quietly as she was being wheeled in. The little dark pink hand was barely covering his thumb, making Kat feel horrible. This was all her fault. "What?"

"They're sick." Kat put her face in her hands when Mum left to give them some privacy. In the background, she heard Mum start to squabble with Narcissa about not being allowed in yet. "Because of me. You were right. We could've had a healthy baby."

Draco raised his eyebrows and stood up, folding his arms over his chest. "Pick one."

"Huh?"

"Pick one," he repeated. "Because if you didn't take that potion, you'd only have one."

"I can't pick one." What was the point in that? She knew she was the smart one in this relationship.

"Exactly. We'd only have one if you didn't. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have all four." Asshole. Stupid asshole. "Well, I'm glad you did. Now anyway."

Kat rolled her eyes. Then, she realized Mum wasn't around and started to ease herself out of the wheelchair until Draco gave her a dirty look. "Fine. Fine. Now you have five people that are totally dependent on you."

"I saw them put your organs on a table and then put them back in," Draco said dryly. "I don't want to see them come out again."

"Hmmm… Baby." Kat snickered as he grumbled and wheeled her to each incubator. Two boys and two girls, and if their wispy hair was anything to go by two blondes and two with black hair. "So you're saying you don't want to do this again?" she asked as she ran a finger over one of the baby's thin, black hair, one of the girls. "I told your dad as we were rolling in that we were going to start trying again next week."

"And here I thought it was the hormones making you an absolute troll," he said quietly. "… Have you thought of any names?"

"James Sirius," she said stubbornly.

He pointed at the incubator next to them. "Aurora Narcissa."

"Aurora Katherine," she corrected.

"Fine." He pointed to the next girl, the one with black hair. "Karina Druella."

"Fuck no! Karina Narcissa." Kat had to keep herself from yelling when he grinned evilly at her compromise. Stupid Slytherins and their stupid traps.

He couldn't wipe that smug smirk off his face as he turned to their last child. A tiny boy with light hair that she had a feeling would grow out to be blonde. "And then there was one. Lucien Draco."

Kat laughed so loudly that all four of them started crying. And so it begain.

* * *

"We are not calling our son Lily!" Draco hissed. Thank Merlin Narcissa finally agreed they could sleep at home. A week had gone by, and the two lovebirds had yet to name their fourth child. Lucius just wanted to sleep through the night without Narcissa getting out of bed to watch their grandchildren sleep in at two in the morning. "Luca is not that close to Lucius!"

Lucius paused at the door. He had forgotten his reading glasses in the babies' hospital room. So Draco wanted to name the child after him. Interesting.

"I would even settle for Abraxas at this point," Katherine said tiredly. "I'd call him Brax."

"Luke," Draco tried, but Katherine wasn't having it. "Then we're not naming him James Sirius!"

"It-it's on his birth certificate!" the little hypocrite stuttered.

"We can change it," Draco snapped, causing one of the infants to start crying. Katherine moaned, but Lucius didn't know why. Neither his son nor her mother would let her move a muscle. "Why do you have such a problem with my father?"

 _"Because,"_ Katherine stressed as if it were obvious. "The man has spent years barely saying two words to you! And he's never once said sorry! He's a jerk."

"It's not his fault," Draco said quietly, but Lucius turned to leave. It was his fault.

* * *

"Why so glum, chum?" Potter asked. Then, he grinned like the little fuck that he was. "I'm moving in. Your life is complete now!'"

Lucius glared at him. What else could he do? He would prefer to have his hair in the morning. "Nothing," he spat. "And who said you were moving in?"

Potter blinked like it was obvious. "My wife."

"Lovely," Lucius drawled.

"Okay…" The puke shrugged awkwardly. "See you later then."

"How do you approach Katherine when you've wronged her?" Lucius asked before he could stop himself.

"With food," Potter said automatically. Then, he set down the large, cardboard box he was carrying. "So she believed me when I spilled her breast milk and told her you accidently put it in your coffee?"  
"What?" How long did the Potters plan on staying? A year? Lucius already wanted to throw himself off the roof. "No… I was talking about Draco. I've never taken the time to truly apologize to him."

"Oh." Potter rubbed at his stubble. "Draco's different than Kat…" Oh really? Lucius surprised the urge to roll his eyes. "So… I think you might need to try talking to him. Without food."

Lucius sneered from him and started to leave his office. "As always, your stellar intellect has solved all of my problems. Perhaps you should work on solving world hunger now."

"You're the one who doesn't know how to talk to your own kid!" Potter called out as he walked passed him. Three hundred and sixty five fucking days to go.

* * *

Draco yawned as he dragged himself to the hospital cafeteria. He was already exhausted, and the mediwitches were doing most of the work. Thankfully, Father was already there and had a cup of coffee waiting for him.

"Thanks." It was too hard not to yawn again.

"I wanted to talk to you," Father said as they sat down. He ran his finger over the rim of the coffee mug. "No. I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Draco knew what. This had been coming for years. And no matter how much Katherine insisted it wasn't his fault, no matter how much Draco logically knew it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but blame himself for his lycanthropy.

"For what the Dark Lord did to you." Father still couldn't say it, even if he wanted to. He gulped, trying to swallow the painful word. _Werewolf._ "For turning you. It was my fault. And you had every right to hate me. I thought if I distanced myself, perhaps you wouldn't."

"Yet you were angry with me for registering," Draco couldn't help but bitterly remind him. The man hadn't spoken to him for weeks afterwards.

"Because that made it real." Father took a sip of his coffee and looked away. "It is easy to ignore something that happens only once a month."

Draco shrugged. He wanted to say that things had to be different now. Part of him even wanted to tell his father to stuff it. He used to look up to him so much… "It's alright."

"It's not," Father insisted. "I don't want you to name your son after me. I don't deserve it."

 _You do now,_ Draco thought, but he didn't want to make any promises. So instead, they did something they hadn't done in years. They talked to each other. Not the occasional, _we have to talk because something awful is happening._ They talked about good things, actually enjoyed each other's company. They were like father and son again.

* * *

"So I was thinking I like the name Alaric," Draco said after he explained to Katherine what happened. They were able to hold the babies now, even though they had feeding tubes and tubes to breathe through their nose. Draco was too scared of breaking something.

"So your dad doesn't want him named after him?" Katherine stroked the nameless baby's hair. Mother insisted he looked like a young Abraxas. Draco had no idea what she was talking about.

"Yes." Draco closed his eyes in annoyance. Wait for it…

"I like the name Luca." Katherine kissed his tiny head. "What do you think? Luca Abraxas or Luca Draco?"

"I hate you."

* * *

Two months later and they were finally going home. Well, Kat was discharged a week after giving birth, but she refused to leave. St. Mungo's knew better than to mess with Lily Potter's daughter. Okay, fine. They knew better than to mess with Lily Potter.

"This is your home," Kat whispered excitedly as she entered the nursery. She was holding little Karina and had a trial of like a thousand people behind her. Mum, Dad, Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Hermione. They were all annoying enough to equal a thousand, so close enough.

"Are you supporting his head?" Draco asked Dad for the ten millionth time. Dad didn't even call James by his name. He was only smugly referred as "Junior."

"Just because Kat's neck is bent like a pretzel doesn't mean I can't hold a baby," Dad said cheerfully. Kat could've sworn Narcissa was now staring at her neck.

"I'd tell you all to get out," Kat said as she sat in her rocking chair, "but I want someone to change their nappies tonight."

"As eloquently put as ever." Stupid Lucius. Was it still too late to change Luca's name? Narcissa had yet to put him down. By Kat's watch, she had about twenty minutes until he pooped. Excellent.

"I'm glad I'm off the hook with the providing grandchildren duty," Hermione whispered in her ear. "I'm going to need you to distract them for the weekend."

"Eloping?" Kat asked. She had the decency to whisper. She was a saint really. It was part of being a Potter.

Hermione snorted. "No! Even better. We're getting a cat."

"It's going to take you all weekend to get a cat?" Hermione was so eloping. Right? Kat frowned, suddenly unsure. "Right?"

Hermione shrugged. "I want a shelter cat. He wants one from a fancy breeder. It's a big commitment."

"I'm so fucking confused." All Malfoy eyes were suddenly on her. "What?"

"You can't swear in front of your children, Katherine!" By the look on Narcissa's face, one would think she ripped Karina's nappy off and started giving her a spanking. Hermione started laughing at her. Not for long, bitch. Not for long.

"Hermione's getting married!" she said loudly for all to hear.

"I'm getting a cat!" Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Do you want to see the business card from that ridiculous breeder?"

Too late. Mum put her hands over her mouth, and Dad looked just as confused as Kat previously was. "My baby's getting married!"

Kat started laughing evilly as Mum ran over and hugged Hermione. Karina made a face that said _What's wrong with you, Momma?_ Or that's what Kat wished it was because she was really just going to the bathroom.

"I'll take her." Draco kneeled down and took the little poop machine. "You've corrupted her enough for the day."

Kat grabbed his wrist as he started to head for the changing table, and Narcissa started barking at a house elf to take a picture. "I love you."

He smiled softly. "I love you too."

* * *

 _Two years later…_

"That was exhausting." Draco was really taking the terrible twos hard. Kat giggled as she jumped into bed, nearly on top of him. It didn't help that she hung out with Mum and Hermione for the day. "I don't care what people say. Girls are disgusting."

Kat kissed him and slid on top of him. "Dad may have given them tacos yesterday."

"I thought the weekly "Grandparents Day" was supposed to help us out." Draco bit his lip as she took off her shirt. "I'm too tired."

Kat grinned. "Just lay there. I'll do all the work."

He shook his head. "Wake me up before you go to work."

Of all the nights… Well, they did just throw a birthday party a few days ago. And apparently Taco Tuesday was not going to work out for Wednesday. And when was the full moon? Kat glanced at the calendar. In four days. Damn. "I need to butter you up."

"I told you no sex," he said dryly, only breaking out into a smile when Kat slapped his chest. "What did you do now?"

"You mean, what did we do?" Alright, this was kind of her doing. Kind of. "So… According to Mum, that potion I took to have the monsters had some side effects."

His face fell, and he tried to force himself to sit up, even though she was sitting on him. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes, but um…" Kat put on her best, innocent smile. "How'd you like two more sons?"

Silence. Kat expected that. They had four and had no plans for more. But they weren't exactly careful over the past two years. "Really?"

Kat nodded, still trying to look innocent. "Remember when we were kids? And you were mad at me and said we'd have ten children in front of Sirius? I think you cursed us. So this is your fault, not mine."

Relief flooded through her when he finally smiled. "You know, three years ago, I thought we'd be childless. And now we'll have six."

"So you're not mad?" Kat said weakly.

"No." Thank Merlin. He ran his thumb over her stomach. "People are going to start calling us the Weasleys."

"Hmmm…" Now it was time for the real test. Maybe she should wait until morning. But it might be too late then. They were already here. "So… Mum decided that she and Dad should move back in."

"WHAT?"

"For an indefinite stay," Kat went on, trying not to smile. Their year stay had extended to over a year and a half. They had only just moved out a few months ago.

"I'm in hell," he groaned as he pressed his fingers into his eyes.

Distantly, they heard, "DADDY!"

"I'll go," Kat almost ran out of the bed and grabbed the nearest robe.

"Not to worry, Jaime Junior," Dad called out. "Your namesake is here!"

There was a chorus of four yelling, "Yay!" Kat tried to keep a straight face as they heard the four of them running down the hall.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius barked.

"Kat's expecting the latest litter," Mum said dryly, sounding half asleep. "Twins."

"You know what." Kat took out her wand and locked the door. "I think we should go on another honeymoon. Forever."

"I'm in hell," Draco said again.

"Liar." Kat wrinkled her nose and snuggled next to him. "We're a match made in heaven."

"In hell," Draco repeated. Kat didn't bother to correct him. Their life was perfect, and he knew it. Neither one of them would have it any other way.

 **FINALLY! Lucky you guys! I almost went for a sad ending. Like Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices sad ending. ;) However, I decided to stick with my usual clichés because I wasn't in the mood for too much drama.**

 **Thank you amata0221, Ern Estine 13624, and gr8rockstarrox!**

 **gr8rockstarrox: I almost went with Alaric again, but I like the name Luca. :)**

 **So future projects. I have two Draco and Kat stories up right now. You guys know about** _ **Draco Malfoy: BLW,**_ **but some of you may not know that I published** _ **Potter Girls.**_ **It's very loosely based on the show** _ **Gilmore Girls**_ **. So check that out if you're interested.**

 **Over spring break, I want to finish that Violet Potter story. Mainly because I have another story in mind for them. A better story. So I think I'll try to wrap it up in a chapter. Or at least add one more chapter. It's supposed to be five.**

 **Thank you so much for getting through this story!**


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